 Montgomery in 2016 | |
| FCF Beasts | |
|---|---|
| Position | Owner |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1986-12-02)December 2, 1986 (age 38) |
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Listed weight | 141 lb (64 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | South Charleston (South Charleston, West Virginia) |
| College | UConn (2005–2009) |
| WNBA draft | 2009: 1st round, 4th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minnesota Lynx |
| Playing career | 2009–2019 |
| Career history | |
| 2009 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2009–2010 | VICI Aistes Kaunas |
| 2010–2011 | Maccabi Bnot Ashdod |
| 2010–2014 | Connecticut Sun |
| 2012–2013 | Nadezhda Orenburg |
| 2014–2015 | Vologda-Chevakata |
| 2015 | Seattle Storm |
| 2015–2017 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2015–2016 | Canberra Capitals |
| 2016–2017 | Basket Gdynia |
| 2017–2018 | Maccabi Ramat Hen |
| 2018–2019 | Atlanta Dream |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at WNBA.com | |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Renee Danielle Montgomery (born December 2, 1986) is an American former professionalbasketball player, sports broadcaster and an activist; who is currently vice president, part-owner, and investor of theAtlanta Dream, and one of three owners of theFCF Beasts Indoor Football Team; making her the first player in the WNBA to become an owner and executive of a team and first female owner in the FCF. During her 11-year playing career in theWomen's National Basketball Association, she won two championships with theMinnesota Lynx in 2015 and 2017. During her college playing career, she won a national championship with theUConn Huskies in 2009.[1] In 2020, Montgomery opted-out of the WNBA season in protest ofpolice brutality, bringing forth awareness throughout the league and leading multiple campaigns dedicated to human rights.
Montgomery was a high school teammate of fellow future WNBA playerAlexis Hornbuckle atSouth Charleston High School, where she was a captain each year of her high school career. She led the school to the West Virginia state Championships three times, averaging 22.5 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals while leading the school to the West Virginia Class AAA Final as a senior. She also played on the varsity soccer team.[1]
She attended theUniversity of Connecticut.
She started 35 of theHuskies' 37 games at point guard and was named 2006Big East Freshman of the Year.[1]
Montgomery started in all 36 games as the Huskies' point guard. She tallied double-figure points in 29 games, including four 20-point plus scoring efforts. Montgomery led the team with a 13.3 scoring average and 163 assists. She was named first team All-Big East. In addition, Montgomery led the USA U-20 National Team to a gold medal during the summer prior to the start of the season at theFIBA U-20 Championship for Women inMexico City.[1]
Montgomery was selected as an All-Big East First Team choice for the second consecutive season. She was also selected to the All-Big East Tournament Team for the third consecutive season. Montgomery moved to theshooting guard slot on January 19, following a season-ending injury toMel Thomas, after playing the majority of her career atpoint guard. She passed the 1,000 point mark in an 82–71 UConn win over North Carolina on January 21, 2008, atGampel Pavilion. The Huskies lost in theFinal Four toStanford and finished the season at 36–2.[1]
Montgomery reached double figure points in all but four games this season, and led the Huskies to a 39–0 season and her first and only National Championship.[2] She finished her career in the Top Ten of many categories in the UConn women's basketball recordbooks including No. 1 in games played (150), No. 6 in career points (1,990), No. 6 in FG's (703), No. 4 in 3pt FG's (254), No. 9 in FT's (330), No. 3 in Assists (632), and No. 5 in Steals (266). She was the first Husky to be recognized in the "Huskies of Honor" while still playing in a Husky uniform.[3]
Sports Illustrated did a series of thirteen photographs featuring teams chasing or achieving perfect seasons—an entire season without a loss. The photograph of CoachGeno Auriemma embracing Renee Montgomery during the 2008–09 season is included in the collection.[4]
Montgomery was selected fourth overall in the2009 WNBA draft by theMinnesota Lynx.[5]
In 2010, Montgomery was traded to theConnecticut Sun, as part of a trade involving Minnesota nativeLindsay Whalen and the first pick in the 2010 draft, with which the Sun selectedTina Charles, Montgomery's former college teammate.[6] In college, she wore 20 as a uniform number. Players often become attached to their numbers, some more than others. Renee liked her number so much that her personal website is reneemontgomery20.com.[7] The Sun also added veteranKara Lawson to the team, who had worn No. 20 in college and with theSacramento Monarchs, so Montgomery wore No. 21 for the Sun.[8]
During the 2009–10 collegiate basketball season, Montgomery occasionally worked as a color commentator for women's college games broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.
During the 2011 WNBA season, she had the best season of her career once she became the starting point guard for the Sun and averaged 14.6 ppg and was voted as an all-star for the first time in her career.
In 2012, Montgomery came off the bench for the Sun, but was still effective, averaging 11.6 ppg and winning WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year. The Sun made it to the playoffs that year and were one win away from advancing to the Finals, but were eliminated by the eventual championsIndiana Fever in game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
On January 28, 2015, the Connecticut Sun traded Montgomery along with their third and fifteen overall picks in the2015 WNBA draft to theSeattle Storm in exchange forCamille Little andShekinna Stricklen.[9]
On July 20, 2015, Montgomery was reacquired by the Minnesota Lynx in a trade forMonica Wright.[10] Montgomery ended up winning her first WNBA championship with the Lynx after they defeated theIndiana Fever in the Finals.
In 2016, Montgomery played a full season for the Lynx for the first time since her rookie season. She averaged 7.5 ppg off the bench and the Lynx were in the hunt to win back-to-back championships, but lost to theLos Angeles Sparks in the Finals.
In 2017, Montgomery averaged 8.0 ppg and achieved a new career-high in field goal shooting percentage. Montgomery also started in 12 of 34 games played while Whalen was sidelined with a hand injury. The Lynx continued to be a championship contender in the league after making it to the Finals for the sixth time in seven seasons, setting up a rematch with the Sparks. This time the Lynx would win in 5 games, winning their fourth championship in seven seasons, tying the now-defunctHouston Comets for most championship titles.
On February 1, 2018, Montgomery signed a multi-year contract with theAtlanta Dream.[11] She would be the starting point guard for the team. On August 12, 2018, Montgomery scored a season-high 30 points along with a career-high 8 three-pointers in an 86–77 victory over theNew York Liberty, tying the regular season record for most three-pointers in a game. She also hit 7 of her 8 three-pointers in the second half, breaking the WNBA record for most three-pointers in a half.[12] By the end of the season, Montgomery set the franchise record for most three-pointers made in a season. The Dream finished 23–11 with the number 2 seed in the league, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. Without the team's leading scorerAngel McCoughtry, who was sidelined with a knee injury, the Dream were short-handed in the playoffs and lost in five games to theWashington Mystics.
In June 2020, Montgomery announced that she would forgo the 2020 WNBA season due to concerns of racism and thecoronavirus.[13] In February 2021, she announced her retirement from the WNBA.[2]
In the 2009-10 off-season, Montgomery played inLithuania forBC VIČI-Aistės Kaunas. In the 2010-11 off-season, she played inIsrael forMaccabi Bnot Ashdod. In the 2012-13 off-season, she played inRussia forNadezhda Orenburg. In the 2013–14 off-season, she played for Tarsus inTurkey and forVologda-Chevakata in Russia; in the 2014-15 off-season, she again played forVologda-Chevakata. In the 2015-16 off-season, she played inAustralia for theCanberra Capitals. She signed withBasket 90 Gdynia inPoland for the 2016-17 off-season.[14] In 2017, Montgomery signed with Maccabi Ramat Hen of theIsraeli League for the 2017-18 off-season.[1]
Montgomery was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the FIBA World Championship and the Summer Olympics is usually chosen from these participants.[15]
At the conclusion of the training camp, the team traveled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.[15]
Montgomery was one of twenty players named to the national team pool, from which twelve players would be chosen to represent the US in the 2010 FIBA World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.[16]
Montgomery was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.[17] This game replaced the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for theFIBA World Championship for Women to be held in theCzech Republic during September and October, 2010.[18]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| Renee Montgomery Statistics[19][20] at University of Connecticut | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | GP | GS | Min | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | FGA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | OR | DR | Reb | Avg | PF | FO | Ast | TO | Blk | Stl | Pts | Avg |
| 2005–06 | 37 | 35 | 1035 | 28 | 124 | 288 | 0.431 | 39 | 116 | 0.336 | 43 | 54 | 0.796 | 26 | 54 | 80 | 2.2 | 52 | 0 | 123 | 81 | 3 | 63 | 330 | 8.9 |
| 2006–07 | 36 | 36 | 1136 | 31.6 | 177 | 403 | 0.439 | 46 | 148 | 0.311 | 79 | 113 | 0.699 | 19 | 80 | 99 | 2.8 | 53 | 0 | 163 | 95 | 5 | 70 | 479 | 13.3 |
| 2007–08 | 38 | 38 | 1197 | 31.5 | 176 | 468 | 0.376 | 70 | 225 | 0.311 | 115 | 145 | 0.793 | 27 | 70 | 97 | 2.6 | 55 | 0 | 147 | 75 | 7 | 72 | 537 | 14.1 |
| 2008–09 | 39 | 39 | 1237 | 31.7 | 226 | 505 | 0.448 | 99 | 260 | 0.381 | 93 | 125 | 0.744 | 18 | 64 | 82 | 2.1 | 41 | 0 | 199 | 100 | 9 | 61 | 644 | 16.5 |
| Totals | 150 | 148 | 4605 | 30.7 | 703 | 1664 | 0.422 | 254 | 749 | 0.339 | 330 | 437 | 0.755 | 90 | 268 | 358 | 2.4 | 201 | 0 | 632 | 351 | 24 | 266 | 1990 | 13.3 |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Montgomery won aWNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Minnesota | 34 | 9 | 22.5 | .408 | .347 | .833 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 9.0 |
| 2010 | Connecticut | 34 | 23 | 27.6 | .401 | .349 | .855 | 2.2 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 13.3 |
| 2011 | Connecticut | 34 | 34 | 29.1 | .400 | .384 | .829 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 14.6 |
| 2012 | Connecticut | 34 | 0 | 24.0 | .348 | .364 | .848 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 11.6 |
| 2013 | Connecticut | 23 | 18 | 27.2 | .365 | .327 | .897 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 10.1 |
| 2014 | Connecticut | 33 | 0 | 16.2 | .373 | .330 | .775 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 6.7 |
| 2015* | Seattle | 17 | 2 | 17.8 | .377 | .392 | .870 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 7.1 |
| 2015* | Minnesota | 17 | 5 | 17.9 | .368 | .232 | .714 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 5.7 |
| 2015† | Total | 34 | 7 | 17.8 | .372 | .312 | .759 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 6.4 |
| 2016 | Minnesota | 34 | 2 | 19.3 | .397 | .321 | .828 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 7.5 |
| 2017† | Minnesota | 34 | 12 | 21.8 | .424 | .358 | .842 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 8.0 |
| 2018 | Atlanta | 34 | 34 | 27.5 | .389 | .371 | .881 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 10.3 |
| 2019 | Atlanta | 34 | 34 | 27.9 | .370 | .324 | .824 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 9.5 |
| Career | 10 years, 5 teams | 364 | 173 | 23.6 | .386 | .347 | .840 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 9.7 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Connecticut | 2 | 2 | 28.5 | .471 | .333 | .875 | 1.5 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 13.0 |
| 2012 | Connecticut | 5 | 0 | 24.0 | .393 | .412 | .833 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 6.8 |
| 2015† | Minnesota | 9 | 0 | 9.7 | .478 | .308 | .875 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.7 |
| 2016 | Minnesota | 8 | 0 | 12.6 | .370 | .444 | .900 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.1 |
| 2017† | Minnesota | 8 | 0 | 17.1 | .449 | .393 | .500 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 7.0 |
| 2018 | Atlanta | 5 | 5 | 31.7 | .293 | .286 | .846 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 8.6 |
| Career | 6 years, 3 teams | 37 | 7 | 17.9 | .400 | .356 | .851 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 6.1 |
In February 2021, Montgomery was part of a three-member investor group that was approved to purchase theAtlanta Dream. The ownership change followed pressure on former ownerKelly Loeffler, aRepublican formerU.S. Senator who had angered WNBA players with her opposition to the league's racial justice initiatives, to sell her share of the Dream.[21][22][23][24] Loeffler had previously refused a visit with Montgomery on social justice initiatives.[21][24]
On January 4, 2021, Montgomery joinedMiro andMarshawn Lynch as a partial owner of theFCF Beasts ofFan Controlled Football.[25]
In 2020, Montgomery began working as a studio analyst forFox Sports Southeast's broadcasts ofAtlanta Hawks games. She had previously appeared on the network as a guest analyst.[23]
In March 2021, Montgomery was announced as the co-host of aCrooked Media podcast titledTakeline withJason Concepcion.[26]
Montgomery called2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament games for ESPN alongsideBeth Mowins.[27]
In September 2021, Montgomery joinedMeadowlark Media, for which she makes the podcastMontgomery & Co.[28]
Montgomery is an investor in MOORvision Technologies and Ucam, a camera built to capture athlete's point of view during games.[29]
In 2024, A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery, a featuredocumentary chronicling Montgomery’s journey from WNBA star to team co-owner and activist, was released onRoku Originals. Produced byLeBron James andMaverick Carter’sUNINTERRUPTED and directed byEmmy Award winner Sandrine Orabona, the film explores Montgomery’s impact on sports, social justice, and community leadership. The documentary premiered at the Uninterrupted Film Festival and screened at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.[30]
In April 2020, Montgomery married music artist Sirena Grace.[31] She has an adoptive son named Angel Wiley,[32] and a clip from 2023 featuring them dancing in their seats at an Atlanta Dream game went viral on social media in January 2025, in which Wiley is referred to as "Chopped Chin" in reference to the appearance of his chin.[33]
