I think it’s safe to say that anybody who openly rails against the Black Lives Matter movement, insists that politics and sports shouldn’t intertwine, or sponsors a bill that targets transgender athletes is a less than ideal fit for owning a WNBA franchise.
But because the devil is busy, none of the above has precluded Kelly Loeffler—the same Kelly Loeffler who just caught a vicious L on Tuesday to Raphael Warnock in the Georgia Senate runoffs—from doing exactly that as the irksome, if not reluctant, co-owner of the Atlanta Dream.
So with Warnock relieving the controversial conservative of her duties as a senator—thanks, in part, to Loeffler’s own players—LeBron James believes it’s only right that she be relieved of her duties as a WNBA owner too. As such, while celebrating her defeat on Wednesday, the four-time NBA champ offered a suggestion on her replacement: himself.
“Think I’m gone put together an ownership group for the [Atlanta Dream],” he tweeted. “[Who’s] in?”
Loeffler took over ownership of the Dream in 2012 with investor Mary Brock and thus far, has outright refused to relinquish her stake in the team. She’s also under no obligation to do so, even though she no longer has any involvement in the team’s day-to-day operations, according to WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert. But as one of the most determined and well-connected athletes in the history of professional sports, who also happens to have a net worth of approximately $500 million, I think it’s safe to say that he can close the deal if he’s serious about becoming a WNBA owner.
He’ll also have some help.
“COUNT ME IN!!!!” Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts tweeted.
While it might not be the most profitable venture considering the WNBA is subsidized by the NBA and reportedly loses as much as $12 million a year annually—compared to generating only $60 million a year during that same time frame (the NBA generates around $9 billion)—if there’s anyone who can breathe life into the WNBA and inject some much-needed prestige and visibility, it’s King James.
Hopefully, he follows through on his interest in purchasing the team and gets Loeffler the hell up out of there so that Dream players can focus on the court instead of expending energy railing against their employer.