Could this Dream Become a Reality?: NBA superstars are prospective buyers of the Atlanta Dream
Amid the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer, there was a conflict in the pro basketball community. What might first come to mind is the NBA bubble and protests, but there were other—potentially more impactful—social justice movements in pro basketball: the WNBA and Atlanta Dream, to be specific. With many disagreements between owner Kelly Loeffler and the rest of the WNBA, the door opened for the potential of a new owner or ownership group to buy the Dream. And recently, on January 6, 2021, Lakers superstar LeBron James informed the world, through Instagram, that he is interested in purchasing the team.
The current owner of the Atlanta Dream is Republican and ex-Senator Kelly Loeffler. Ironically, she could attribute her recent loss in the Georgia Senate race to her team. In early June, when the NBA and WNBA announced they would embrace the BLM movement during their season, Loeffler wrote a letter to the WNBA commissioner.
The letter stated that the politicization of sports “sends a message of exclusion” among other complaints. Even though the WNBA promptly rejected this letter, with the majority of women in the WNBA (as well as the majority of Atlanta) being people of color, this message was not only insensitive but insulting. Immediately following these comments, the Dream and WNBA players called for her removal from the ownership team; however, the WNBA never took action.
The WNBA has a reputation for their collective activism: during August in the “Wubble,” the WNBA bubble held at IMG Academy, players throughout the WNBA, including the Dream, wore shirts that said “Vote Warnock,” referencing Loeffler’s Democratic opponent, Raphael Warnock, in the senate race. In the three days after this action, Warnock’s campaign raised over $236,000 and gained momentum in the race, leading to his victory in the Senate runoff races in January.
The day that Warnock won the senate race was the day James posted a picture exclaiming his desire to buy the Dream. In the past, James has supported liberal causes and fellow athletes, and the Dream would be the perfect platform for his beliefs. James would bring a great attitude for the Dream—one that believes in the women’s basketball league, in the activism it stands for, and an immediate connection to the Atlanta community through his ability to sympathize with the large black population.
In response to James’ post, fellow NBA star and James' close friend Carmelo Anthony posted “let’s talk bro!” If LeBron were to bring in more NBA stars and fellow activists, it would send a message to the sports world that the NBA supports its sister league. Also, more importantly perhaps, it would show that social activism is a communal effort spread across the leagues and the country—a message that contrasted Loeffler’s platform.
However, talk means nothing if Loeffler still owns shares of the team and refuses to sell, as she does right now. Fortunately for the Dream and LeBron, the WNBA has said that although they will not force Loeffler out, they will support any negotiations. There are allegedly talks right now between the Atlanta ownership and different groups interested in purchasing, although no news on whether James and Anthony are a part of these bids.
Although the NBA is back playing a semi-normal season, the WNBA does not begin until the summer, which leaves plenty of time for a potential ownership change. With this in mind, LeBron has loads of time to create yet another superteam – one that builds his legacy as one of the most influential athletes and activists to manifest itself into the ownership of a WNBA team.
