Atlanta Dream close to being sold

According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream is on the verge of being sold to an undisclosed owner. A spokesperson for the WNBA spokesperson told the newspaper: “As it relates to the Atlanta Dream, we understand a sale of the franchise is close to being finalized. Once the sale negotiation is concluded, additional information will be provided.”

The team was in the spotlight for much of last year due to co-owner Kelly Loeffler’s senate election campaign that revealed her extreme far-right views. Her statements contradicted the league’s public stances and those of many players. Over the year, players, fans, and many in the media called on the WNBA to strip Loeffler of her Dream ownership due to her attacks on WNBA players and her association with extreme conspiracy theorists and white supremacists.

Loeffler, a Republican, was appointed to the U.S. Senate in December 2019 to fill a vacant seat. After the appointment, she proceeded to launch a media makeover that developed into a full-fledged allegiance to outgoing President Donald Trump, including support of lies that claimed President-elect Joe Biden won the presidential election because of widespread voter fraud. Her activities also included attacking WNBA players’ social justice initiatives that supported the Black Lives Matter movement and denigrating their calls for racial equality and an end to police brutality against Black Americans. She lost her bid to remain in the Senator to  Democrat Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Warnock garnered support from WNBA players who designed t-shirts to support him and publicly campaigned for him in the latter part of 2020.

The Dream, which finished the 2020 season with a 7-15 record, has the third overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft set to take place sometime in April.