The Dream confirmed they have fired president and general manager Chris Sienko on Wednesday, although no official announcement came from the WNBA franchise.
Sienko was hired in 2017 as general manager and was promoted to president the following year.
“The Dream and Chris Sienko have parted ways,” the team said in a statement provided to several media outlets, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, upon inquiry. “We thank Chris for his contributions.”
No replacement has been named.
The Dream were sold in February to a three-member group led by majority owner Larry Gottesdiener. The group also includes Suzanne Abair and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. The sale followed pressure on former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a co-owner with Mary Brock, who angered WNBA players with her opposition to the league’s racial justice initiatives.
The new ownership group held a press conference after the sale was completed but have not spoken publicly since on the franchise, including Wednesday concerning the front office change.
One of the first moves Sienko made in 2018 was signing Montgomery as a free agent. Before coming to Atlanta, Sienko served as vice president, chief operating officer and GM of the Connecticut Sun for 14 seasons.
The Dream have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, going a combined 15-41, and in three of the past four seasons. In between, in 2018, they won a franchise-record 23 games and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to Washington, 3-2.
The Dream are set to open training camp Sunday. Following a two-week camp, the team will open the 2021 season May 14 against Connecticut at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park. Earlier this month, the Dream drafted Aari McDonald with the No. 3 overall pick to cap a number of offseason moves.
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