Renee Montgomery is a former WNBA star who has become a prominent sports broadcaster, activist, and co-owner/vice president of the Atlanta Dream.

Quick Scoop: Who Is Renee Montgomery?

  • American former professional basketball player, born December 2, 1986.
  • Played 11 seasons in the WNBA, winning two championships with the Minnesota Lynx (2015, 2017).
  • Starred at UConn, where she was a two-time All-American and won the 2009 NCAA national title on an undefeated team.
  • Drafted 4th overall in the WNBA Draft and later became an All-Star and Sixth Woman of the Year.
  • Made history as a vice president, part-owner, and investor of the Atlanta Dream, the first former WNBA player to become an owner/executive of a WNBA team.
  • Also part-owner of the FCF Beasts indoor football team and active as a business and media entrepreneur.

Activism and off-court impact

In 2020, Montgomery opted out of the WNBA season to focus on racial justice and protest police brutality after the killing of George Floyd. She later officially retired in 2021 to continue her social justice work and broader community advocacy.

  • Focused on campaigns for racial equality and human rights.
  • Frequently speaks about using ā€œmomentsā€ to build ā€œmomentum,ā€ a phrase she uses as a personal motto.

Media, broadcasting, and podcasts

Montgomery has become a visible on-air presence:

  • Sports analyst for NBA/ESPN and other outlets; she appears on studio shows and college/NBA coverage.
  • Hosts the ā€œMontgomery & Co.ā€ podcast, a sports-and-business show she does with her family, which has ranked among Appleā€™s top sports/business podcasts.
  • Hosts or appears on other media projects like ā€œRemotely Reneeā€ and various interview and panel-format shows.

Recently, she has also been in the spotlight for her work on CBSā€™ March Madness coverage, where sheā€™s been praised on forums for her sharp analysis and for holding her own alongside veteran voices.

Why sheā€™s trending right now

  • She has been filling in on CBS Sportsā€™ NCAA menā€™s tournament studio coverage, stepping in for Kenny Smith while heā€™s been out sick, which has drawn extra attention from college hoops fans.
  • Fans on basketball forums have commented that they ā€œlike her analysis and her counterpoints to Chuckā€ and appreciate the fresh perspective she brings to the studio.
  • On social media, she highlights her roles as Atlanta Dream co-owner/VP, two-time WNBA champion, UConn alum, podcaster, and nonprofit founder, showing how many lanes sheā€™s working in at once.

Different viewpoints people have

  • Many basketball fans see her as a model of a modern athlete-turned-owner: successful on the court, then leveraging that into business, media, and social impact.
  • Activism-focused audiences emphasize her 2020 decision to sit out the season as a bold move that helped push the WNBA further into visible social justice leadership.
  • More casual viewers, especially those just seeing her on CBS or NCAA broadcasts, sometimes only know her as ā€œthe new studio analyst,ā€ then discover her playing career and ownership role afterward.

Mini timeline

  1. High school in West Virginia: Three girlsā€™ state championships.
  1. UConn (mid-2000sā€“2009): Two-time All-American, undefeated 2009 national title.
  1. WNBA career (11 seasons): Drafted 4th, wins two titles with the Lynx, earns All-Star and Sixth Woman honors.
  1. 2020: Opts out of season to focus on racial justice and police brutality issues.
  1. 2021: Officially retires and becomes co-owner/VP of the Atlanta Dream, also taking on more media work.
  1. 2020s: Expands into podcasts, production, keynote speaking, and frequent TV analysis, including CBS and TNT appearances.

TL;DR: Renee Montgomery is a two-time WNBA champion and former UConn star who left playing to focus on activism, then made history as co-owner/VP of the Atlanta Dream while building a fast-rising career in media and business.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.