When they joined the Atlanta Dream in October 2021, coach Tanisha Wright and general manager Dan Padover took stock of their new WNBA team. It didn’t take long.
Atlanta had just three players under contract — one of whom had missed two-thirds of the 2021 season under suspension — and a 2022 first-round draft pick. The Dream had gone a combined 23-65 from 2019 to 2021 and had a contentious separation from one of its former owners.
The mission for the new ownership group, front office and coaches was nothing short of an overhaul. But how do you fix a broken franchise? It starts from the top.
“Our league deserves owners who are just as passionate about this as we are,” said Wright, who played in the WNBA for 14 seasons before becoming a coach. “I think that’s exactly the type of ownership group that we have now: They’re excited not only for the Atlanta Dream, but for the growth of the WNBA as a whole.”
The Dream finished 2022 at 14-22 and just out of the playoffs, and No. 1 draft pick Rhyne Howard was WNBA Rookie of the Year. In the offseason, Atlanta had a…
