The Georgia Senate runoff had at least one decisive victory on Tuesday night, with challenger Raphael Warnock defeating incumbent senator Kelly Loeffler with 50.6% of the votes.
After the Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James commented on Georgia’s historic election night by taking a not so subtle dig at Loeffler, a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream.
James tweeted a photo of Dream players all wearing Vote Warnock t-shirts, along with the caption “Think I’m gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream. Whose in?” He also used the hashtag #BlackVotesMatter along with the raised fist emoji.
Think I’m gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream. Whose in? #BlackVotesMatter✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/9wclgdED2w
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 6, 2021
While the WNBA has said that it won’t force Loeffler to sell her shares in the Dream, it’s clear that her actions during her reelection campaign have turned her into something of a WNBA villain. Loeffler clashed publicly with WNBA athletes over their support of the Black Lives Matter movement early in her reelection campaign, galvanizing many players to organize for Warnock.
The political activism and organization by the Dream and the WNBA undoubtedly helped push Warnock into a run off against Loeffler. According to Lindsay Gibbs of the Power Plays newsletter, Warnock was polling at just 9% before the WNBA’s involvement helped elevate his national profile. Per Basketball News, the WNBA wearing Vote Warnock shirts also helped the campaign raise $200,000 in just two days.
When WNBA players endorsed @ReverendWarnock on August 4, 2020, he was polling at just 9%, behind D. Matt Lieberman (14%), R. Doug Collins (20%), and Loeffler (26%).https://t.co/xs12VzOpas https://t.co/srHBqaAxti
— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) January 6, 2021
James’ tweet is a nod not just to the the fact that Loeffler isn’t particularly welcome in the WNBA but of the financial power Black athletes posses. James has the capital to launch a bid for a WNBA team and what organized sports absolutely needs is more Black owners.
Whether or not James is serious about a WNBA team remains to be seen, but hopefully these aren’t just empty words.
