The Atlanta Dream is about to be sold, a WNBA spokesman confirmed to ESPN.
“As for the Atlanta Dream, we understand that the sale of the franchise is about to end,” the league said in a statement. “Once the sale negotiation is completed, additional information will be provided.”
Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that up to five bidders have expressed interest in buying the equipment, with Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), Currently co-owner, not associating with the franchise after the sale. .
The franchise has been at the center of agitation since Loeffler wrote a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert objecting to the league’s embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement during the 2020 season. the league initially asked Loeffler to sell his share of the team (49%), but when he refused, he publicly endorsed his opponent in his senatorial career, the Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Warnock defeated Loeffler in the second round on January 5 and will be sworn in in Congress this week.
Over the summer, ESPN reported that Dream president Chris Sienko and majority owners Mary and John Brock, the former CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, have been providing financial information to potential buyers of the equipment.
According to sources, it is not yet clear what role the Brock family would play with the team, but the expectation is that the new buyer will own the majority ownership. Brock and Loeffler have owned the team since 2012.
The voice message left by ESPN to John Brock on Tuesday was not returned, nor was an email to Loeffler’s campaign.
Loeffler told ESPN in July that “I have welcomed additional partners to make sure we continue to grow the team. But I will continue to be part of the team.”
He estimated that he has lost $ 10 million since he bought the equipment. According to campaign funding documents, Loeffler lent his senatorial campaign $ 23 million in 2020.