James looking at buying stake in Atlanta WNBA franchise

FILE PHOTO:Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates after a play against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter in game six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James has said he is looking at forming an ownership group for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream after Kelly Loeffler, who has not indicated she even wants to sell her share in the team, lost her U.S. Senate race in Georgia.

Republican Loeffler lost her reelection campaign to Democrat Raphael Warnock on Tuesday after months of activism from WNBA players who objected to her stance on social justice issues and called for her removal from the ownership team.

“Think I’m gone put together an ownership group for The Dream. Whose in? #BlackVotesMatter.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​ four-times NBA champion James wrote in a Twitter post that included a photo of Dream players wearing “Vote Warnock” T-shirts.

The tweet from James, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA championship last October, drew plenty of support, including from Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts who responded to the post with one of his own: “COUNT ME IN!!!!!”

Reuters has contacted Loeffler for comment.

Loeffler, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, was critical of the WNBA’s decision to dedicate the 2020 season to social justice.

She urged WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a letter to scrap plans for players to wear warmup jerseys reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name” — in honor of Breonna Taylor — and instead put an American flag on all uniforms.

Loeffler, who has co-owned the Atlanta franchise since 2011, said last year “we need less – not more politics in sports,” and called Black Lives Matter “a very divisive organization based on Marxist principles.”

Players on the Dream and other WNBA teams were seen wearing “Vote Warnock” T-shirts to games last season.