Prior to the entirety of the WNBA descending upon the wubble at the IMG Academy in Florida, one of its owners decided she wanted to be famous.
That owner of course was Kelly Loeffler, co-owner of the Atlanta Dream and who was appointed to a vacant Georgia senate seat by its governor Brian Kemp.
Loeffler was reported to have made stock trades in various companies at the same time the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning to take shape in the United States. Reports suggested she made the trades in private while ensuring everyone in public that the coronavirus is no big deal.
Then she put her foot further in her mouth by making racist remarks during a Fox News interview in which she called open carry by Black Americans “mob rule.” Note that Loeffler seems to have more of an affinity for the letters N, R and A than W, N, B and A.
The last straw for many WNBA players and fans – including those players for the Dream – was when she railed against the W’s plan to honor Breonna Taylor (the Black woman first responder who was killed by Louisville police in her own apartment) and spotlight the Black Lives Matter movement at its two courts at the wubble.
She even wanted WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to have an American flag placed on all jerseys of all 12 teams.
Far and wide, the calls for Loeffler to be ousted as a WNBA owner were far and wide, but Engelbert, in a CNN interview, said she would not call for Loeffler to be jettisoned Donald Sterling style by the WNBA’s Board of Governors.
Loeffler still has plenty electorally on the brains. She is in a tight race with Reverend Raphael Warnock, who many a WNBA player has endorsed. The latest poll of the race shows Warnock with a one-point edge on Loeffler in a state that probably had the most accurate polling of the presidential race.
#GAsen Runoffs:
Warnock (D) 47% (+1)
Loeffler (R-inc) 46%
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Ossoff (D) 48% (+2)
Perdue (R-inc) 46%@FabrizioWard/@HartSurveys/@AARP, LV, 11/30-12/4https://t.co/NCE6NNOtvK— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) December 11, 2020
Regardless of whether Loeffler is declared the winner or loser of her Georgia senate race with Warnock, her anti-Black Lives Matter comments still have relevancy in the minds of many a WNBA player to the point where Loeffler might as well have made them yesterday.
We are still a bit of a way from free agency, and it is sure to be the story within WNBA circles if it were to be as out of control as the last free agency period was.
Chris Sienko and Nicki Collen made a number of relevant moves that constantly had the Dream in the free agency news. Courtney Williams and Shekinna Stricklen joined Atlanta from Connecticut, Glory Johnson moved east to the ATL from Dallas and Kalani Brown ended up with the Dream from Los Angeles.
Oh, there was also Atlanta losing Angel McCoughtry, the drafting of Chennedy Carter out of Texas A&M fourth overall, the logo change and the move to Gateway Center Arena in College Park.
But, of course, all of those moves occurred before Loeffler became the most hated name within WNBA circles. All of those moves occurred well before the WNBA made its way to the wubble in Florida.
Collen represented the Dream’s media availability after the results of the 2021 WNBA draft lottery were released – a lottery that saw the New York Liberty earn the first overall pick for the second consecutive draft. Atlanta got the third pick and Collen mentioned how much of they do with the draft will be determined by what happens in free agency.
If WNBA free agents are still thinking about Loeffler’s comments when making free agency decisions, it could be a long one on ATL’s south side for Sienko and Collen. Even with Atlanta being the attractive, glitzy, glamorous Black destination it always has been and always will be, free agents may still be thinking about Loeffler (whether she is still a senator or not) when they ponder whether or not to sign with Atlanta.
This is a big reason why so many WNBA fans felt Loeffler needed to be ousted Donald Sterling style because of the concern over her diatribes that could put the Dream at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to negotiating trades or signing free agents.
The Sterling comparisons are more than earned for Loeffler at this point, but the situation, if it spills over into how successful Atlanta’s free agent period is or is not, could give Loeffler more of a nod to James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers (and formerly the Liberty).
Almost every single time a free agent name is mentioned, that name is almost inevitably linked to the Knicks because of the allure of New York City. The problem is that the Knicks have swinged and missed on the vast majority of free agents they have pursued for a quite a while now. In addition, marquee players such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have given the Knicks’ Brooklyn rivals, the Nets, a chance while completely shunning the Knicks.
The Knicks are a team that clearly likes to use its history, the majesty of Madison Square Garden and being New York’s primary team as a way to draw in free agents. The problem is that among players, James Dolan’s name might as well be mud. Players do not want anything to do with Dolan and that is why free agents avoid MSG like the bubonic plague.
But that could be the key difference between Loeffler and Dolan. NBA players want nothing to do with the Knicks simply because Dolan is a used car salesman for an owner who treats his fans horribly. Loeffler made extremely hurtful remarks (on multiple occasions) about an entire race of people while being a team owner of a WNBA team with almost all Black players in the city commonly referred to as the “Black Mecca.”
It is yet to be seen if this year’s crop of free agents do decide to send that loud and clear message to Loeffler that they will not play for her team unless she is forced out by the WNBA. But, it would be on brand for WNBA players to decide so if this were to be the case. After all, it would not be a good look for WNBA players to push back at Loeffler and rally for social justice while inside the wubble, then get into a situation where the very same person they criticized (in response for criticizing them and the league) is the one signing their paychecks.
One thing has to be made clear – this has nothing to do with Loeffler being a Republican. As the ESPN report released prior to the election revealed, the owners of the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces have all given to Republicans in the past.
This is about a woman in Loeffler who has all but burnt every bridge she may have made in the WNBA by going against everything the WNBA stands for. She has put herself in the same category as Candice Wiggins as names that are mud when asked to fans.
Albert Einstein said it best that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the Loeffler connection is simply too much for players to ignore when deciding or not to sign that Dream deal, she may get a less-than-ideal encounter with Mr. Einstein.
