‘Amateur League,’ ‘So Unethical’ — WNBA Fans Sound Off As Elle Duncan Commends Dream Co-Owner’s ‘Professionalism’ During Finals Broadcast
· Yahoo Sports
Renee Montgomery, the Atlanta Dream’s co-owner and Vice President, joined Elle Duncan for USA Network’s pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage of WNBA Finals Game 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
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The Golden State Valkyries defeated Atlanta 68-63 to claim their first championship, but Montgomery’s presence on the broadcast became a talking point of its own.
Fans Push Back Against Elle Duncan Praise For Dream Co-Owner Renee Montgomery Covering WNBA Finals
Montgomery, a two-time WNBA champion, 2009 NCAA champion, and 2011 All-Star, also works as a studio analyst for USA Network. Fans questioned whether someone who co-owns one of the teams involved in the Finals should have been part of the network’s coverage in the first place.
Duncan, who began her WNBA broadcasting role as USA Sports’ lead studio host in January 2026, had a different takeaway.
She shared a clip from the Game 7 broadcast on X, in which she praised Montgomery for maintaining her objectivity despite having a stake in the Atlanta Dream.
“I think that your [Renee Montgomery] objectivity, the way that you were able to talk about this series, despite knowing you had a dog in the fight, just a true act of professionalism. It never impacted your analysis. And I just think it was a really high level of execution, and you just absolutely nailed it,” Duncan said.
That compliment fueled the debate amongst WNBA fans.
One fan questioned the arrangement and pointed to how unusual it would be in another major league, writing, “What are you even talking about? To have Renee Montgomery covering the games is so unethical when she’s a minority owner of the Atlanta dream who were playing in the finals. Imagine this happening in the NBA it would never.”
Another observer argued that Montgomery’s ownership stake created an unavoidable conflict of interest, posting, “Renee Montgomery had no business being in that role. She’s a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. Having someone with a direct stake in one of the teams calling the game is a clear conflict of interest. I don’t care how professional she was… There were plenty of other qualified people they could’ve chosen. It’s ridiculous.”
Others took a more measured approach, suggesting the league should review the situation.
“In my opinion she should not have been commentating on this, esp as an owner of the dream but this is something the WNBA can look at after the fact,” one WNBA fan wrote.
Another fan dismissed the coverage with a blunt assessment, commenting, “Amateur league with no professionalism lmfao.”
One observer took aim directly at Duncan’s praise, posting, “Renee Montgomery and the word professionalism do not belong in the same sentence.”
The Dream, meanwhile, had an opportunity to bring home their first WNBA title. They were able to stretch the series to seven games, but the Valkyries eventually got the better of them.
A long offseason awaits the team now, and management could use that time to assess the Montgomery broadcasting controversy and how to strengthen the team and return stronger in 2027.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.