LeBron James Reacts to Report Kelly Loeffler Refused to Meet Renee Montgomery

Tim Daniels @TimDanielsBRFeatured ColumnistMarch 4, 2021

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2021, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James smiles during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago. The Associated Press asked eight of the greatest current and former champions, including James, from seven different sports to find out what impressed them most about Tom Brady.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reacted to further details about former Atlanta Dream player Renee Montgomery joining an ownership group to purchase the franchise with a nod to a familiar refrain, "stick to sports."

LeBron James @KingJames
Stick to sports..... 🤔 https://t.co/2P0QJyc8H0

Dave Zirin of The Nation reported Wednesday that Kelly Loeffler, a former Georgia Senator who previously owned the Dream, refused to meet with Montgomery to discuss concerns the players had, which led the two-time WNBA champion to seek out ownership options.

"I am excited to be able to continue my basketball career as the first former WNBA player to become a team owner and member of the leadership team for the Dream," Montgomery told Zirin. "My moments in Atlanta are continuing to build momentum in the community and I look forward to developing relationships that are mutually beneficial to both Atlanta and the Dream."

She's part of a group led by real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener and will serve as the team's vice president, with ample decision-making power, per Zirin.

The former UConn standout explained that an early January Twitter exchange with James is what got her thinking about the idea of ownership:

Renee Montgomery @ReneeMontgomery
I’m ready when you are https://t.co/vU2b42WcBT

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Loeffler and the Dream players became at odds when she refused to support the WNBA's increased efforts to spotlight the important of social justice and racial equality, which led the roster to openly campaign for her opponent, Raphael Warnock, who defeated Loeffler in the January run-off election.

"I just think that if someone is so opposed to the WNBA. and what the WNBA is trying to stand for, and so opposed to Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream and so opposed to everything the Atlanta Dream stands for, I just don't understand why you would want to be a part of it anyways," Montgomery said in January.

The 34-year-old West Virginia native, who sat out the 2020 season to focus on social justice issues and has since retired from on-court competition, was voted an All-Star in 2011 and the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2012.