Atlanta Dream are more than a team. We’re a platform for connection, change.
Today, when the Atlanta Dream tips off its home opener against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, it will be more than just the start of a season.
It will be a transition to something bigger, something Atlanta has been building and something women’s sports across the country are finally being recognized for delivering.
The Dream holds a unique place in this city and this region.
As the Southeast’s only WNBA team and the most established women’s professional sports franchise in Atlanta, we carry both the responsibility of representing our city and the opportunity for long-term impact.
For years, we’ve worked to grow the game here, not just as entertainment, but as a platform for connection, community and change. Today, that work is meeting a moment.
How The Dream is leading the WNBA in so many ways
The WNBA is experiencing unprecedented growth. Viewership is up. Attendance is surging. Cultural relevance has expanded beyond traditional sports audiences into mainstream conversation. You can see it in the numbers and feel it in the energy. But more importantly, you can see it in the way fans are showing up: louder, more diverse and more engaged than ever before.
Atlanta is no exception. In fact, we’re leading in many ways. For the third year in a row, the Dream have sold out 44 consecutive home games. 2026 season tickets are sold out. Demand has been so strong that we’ve moved five games this season to State Farm Arena to accommodate larger crowds, including today’s home opener. Our partnership revenue is up more than 50% year over year, for the fifth straight year — even before a transformative offseason — and our digital engagement has reached an all-time high.
That momentum is matched by what’s happening on the court. We’re entering a new era for the Dream, one built on stability paired with strategic bold moves.
Last year, we welcomed Head Coach Karl Smesko to the Dream family and the team responded with a franchise record 30 wins and a third straight playoff appearance. For 2026, we’ve retained our incredible starting core, which includes Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon, Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones, while adding Angel Reese, one of the most dynamic young players in the game. It’s a combination of chemistry, talent, and star power that reflects where the league is heading. We are competitive, visible, and unapologetically ambitious.
But this moment isn’t just about teams or talent. It’s also about real change. The new collective bargaining agreement between league owners and the players represents a transformational step forward, not only for WNBA players, but for women across sports. It signals progress in compensation, benefits and professional standards. Agreements like this don’t just improve conditions; they validate the efforts of the trailblazers in women’s sports whose contributions were not always recognized, yet they persevered and paved the way for future generations to thrive.
Team invests in players, fans and the community
In Atlanta, the impact of these athletes extends beyond the game. In 2008, the Dream was named by the Atlanta community after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, and we take that legacy seriously. Basketball is what brings people through the doors, but what happens around it, from community programs and civic engagement to youth development, is what defines impact.
We’ve seen first-hand how sport can be a vehicle for meaningful social change. Whether it’s investing in local organizations, amplifying important conversations, or simply creating spaces where people feel seen and connected, the role of a team in a city like Atlanta goes far beyond wins and losses.
That’s especially true right now when public conversation around women’s sports is shifting. There’s more attention, yes, but also more scrutiny, more expectation and more opportunity to get it right. The challenge is not just to ride the wave, but to build something lasting from it.
That means continuing to invest — in players, in facilities, in storytelling and in access. It means understanding that what’s happening in the WNBA isn’t a trend. It’s a new standard.
So, when the ball tips today, it will mark another chapter in a story that’s still being written. One where Atlanta plays a central role. One where women’s sports are no longer asking for attention but commanding it. And one where the Dream continues to live up to its name — not just as a team, but as an ideal.
Because in this city, and in this moment, the future of sports looks different. And that’s exactly the point.
Morgan Shaw Parker is president and chief operating officer of the Atlanta Dream.
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