Atlanta Dream's Renee Montgomery on new film, mixing politics and sports and her rise to the C-suite

August 28th, 2024

Former Atlanta Dream star Renee Montgomery serves as an executive for the team, making her the first former player to serve as an owner and an executive of a WNBA team. (Courtesy of Renee Montgomery)

Former Atlanta Dream point guard Renee Montgomery is starring in a new movie that chronicles her basketball, business and social justice journey.

“A Radical Act” premiered in July at the Uninterrupted Film Festival in Los Angeles and showcased her career off the court, as the first former WNBA player to become both a co-owner and franchise executive.

Montgomery opted out of playing in the 2020 Atlanta Dream season and officially retired from the WNBA in 2021. The decision capped an 11-year career with four teams that included two WNBA championships.

Her decision to leave came amid tensions between players and one of the former Dream co-owners, Republican former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

Loeffler had said she adamantly opposed the Black Lives Matter movement and wrote a letter to WNBA commissioners that she did not want politics mixing with sports.

The recent and intense wave of presidential politics is not lost on Montgomery, especially now that she’s a vice president navigating the C-suite.

Montgomery joined WABE’s “Morning Edition” to discuss all this and the climate during her transition out of basketball, and said she applauds those athletes earning valuable opportunities outside of the arena.

Renee continues the conversation weekly on her weekly WABE sports, finance, politics and culture podcast “Montgomery & Company,” heard Saturdays at 6 pm.