The Atlanta Dream are an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team based in the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

. The Dream compete in the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. Although the Dream share the Atlanta market with the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Hawks Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and othe ...

, the Dream is not affiliated with its NBA counterpart. The Dream play at the

Gateway Center Arena Gateway Center Arena at College Park is a multi-purpose arena in College Park, Georgia. It is the home venue of the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League and the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The arena's fi ...

College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton and Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton counties, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

. The Dream has qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in ten of its seventeen years in Atlanta and has reached the

WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the win ...

three times. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

standouts Angel McCoughtry and Shoni Schimmel, former Finals MVP Betty Lennox, and Brazilian sharpshooter Izi Castro Marques. In

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, the Dream went to the

but fell short to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. They lost to the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...

in the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2013 WNBA Finals The 2013 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2013 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Atlan ...

History

Joining the league

Before the success of the United States women's basketball team in the 1996 Olympic Games, the American Basketball League had an interest in placing a women's professional basketball team in Atlanta as early as 1995. Eight of the twelve Olympians played on ABL teams when the league began play in October 1996. The Atlanta Glory played at Forbes Arena and lasted two seasons before folding before the start of the 1998–99 season, which would be the ABL's final. Atlanta had been mentioned as a possible future city for WNBA expansion, but efforts did not come together until the beginning of 2007 when an organizing committee with Atlanta businesswomen/men and politicians began the effort to attract an expansion team. The inability of the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

to draw crowds was a concern of the WNBA, and the committee kicked off an effort in February 2007 to gain volunteers and petition signatures.

Philips Arena State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...

, The Arena at Gwinnett Center, and Alexander Memorial Coliseum were candidates for venues. By May 2007, the committee had over 1,000 pledges for season tickets, although the goal was 8,000 season tickets in ninety days. By July the committee had 1,200 commitments and began searching for an owner. Philips Arena Dream game 2008

On October 16, 2007, it was reported that Ron Terwilliger, an Atlanta businessman and CEO of a national real estate company would be the future owner of an Atlanta franchise. The next day, at a news conference at Atlanta's

Centennial Olympic Park Centennial Olympic Park is a public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. It was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructur ...

, WNBA president Donna Orender announced that Atlanta would officially be granted a WNBA expansion franchise. On November 27, 2007, Atlanta named Marynell Meadors, a coach with extensive experience at the college level, the first

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

and

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

in franchise history. This was Meadors' second role as a coach/general manager in the WNBA following a stint with the

Charlotte Sting The Charlotte Sting were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the league's eight original teams. The team disbanded on January 3, 2007. The Sting was originally the sister organization ...

. Afterward, Meadors had served as a scouting director for the

Miami Sol The Miami Sol were a professional women's basketball team that was based in Miami and entered the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena as the sister team to the Miami Heat of the ...

and had been an assistant coach under

Richie Adubato Richard Adam Adubato (born November 23, 1937) is an American former basketball coach in the National Basketball Association. He has served as head coach for three NBA teams, the Detroit Pistons, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Orlando Magic. He ...

and Tree Rollins for the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...

. Former NBA player

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

volunteered his name as head coach for the Dream. Terwilliger declined, stating that he wanted someone with more coaching experience and he felt that the head coach should be a woman, as the WNBA was a women's league. On December 5, 2007, an online contest was announced for people to vote on the team name and team colors, while the final choice rested with owner Ron Terwilliger. The names offered as choices were "Dream", "Flight", "Surge" and "Sizzle". On January 23, 2008, the team name was announced as the Dream, inspired by the famous speech of Atlanta native

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

, and the team colors were sky blue, red, and white. Atlanta held its expansion draft on February 6, 2008, when it selected one player from each of the 13 teams in the league. Atlanta traded Roneeka Hodges and their number four pick in the 2008 WNBA draft to the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team was founded by Gi ...

for Izi Castro Marques and Seattle's eighth pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Also, the Dream traded the 18th pick and LaToya Thomas to the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...

for Ivory Latta. From May 17, 2008, with a season-opening loss against the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

to July 3, 2008, with a home loss against the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

, the Dream lost 17 consecutive games, setting the WNBA all-time record for both consecutive losses and losses from opening day. The 2006

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

had previously lost 13 consecutive games, and the 2002

had opened their season 0–13. On July 5, the Dream earned their first win in Atlanta 91–84 against the

, ending the losing streak. They later finished with a 4–30 record.

The Angel McCoughtry Era (2008–2019)

Not wanting a repeat of 2008, head coach and general manager Marynell Meadors acquired players such as Sancho Lyttle, Nikki Teasley,

Chamique Holdsclaw Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw (born August 9, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She announced her retirement from the Los Angeles Sparks on June 11, 2007, though she ev ...

, Angel McCoughtry, and

Michelle Snow Donnette Jé-Michelle Snow (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played most recently in the Turkish Women's Basketball League. Early life Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, Snow led Pensacola High S ...

in the 2008–2009 offseason. In 2009, Atlanta reached the playoffs at 18–16, exceeding their previous record by 14 wins, but lost in the first round to the 2008 champion

in a sweep. After the season, their coach, Marynell Meadors, was awarded the Coach of the Year Award. The Dream's owner, Ron Terwilliger, announced in August that he wanted to give up his position as the primary owner of the Atlanta franchise. On October 29, 2009, Kathy Betty took control of the team under the business entity Dream Too, LLC. The 2010 season saw further improvement, finishing in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Dream then made it through the first two rounds of the playoffs and secured a trip to the WNBA Finals with a win over the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

, as they swept New York in two games in the Eastern Conference Finals. They eventually faced the best team in the league, the 28–6

. Seattle took the first two games at

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

with two close wins. Seattle completed the sweep and won the series in Atlanta. Even though they were swept, the Dream did not lose any game by a margin of more than three points. Addressing arguably Atlanta's biggest concern, the team traded for All-Star point guard Lindsey Harding prior to the 2011 season. Despite the addition, the Dream struggled to open the season, starting with a 2–7 record due to an injury that sidelined Angel McCoughtry and overseas commitments by Sancho Lyttle. The team then went on a run of 14 wins and 5 losses after the All-Star break. They carried that momentum into the playoffs, sweeping the

and defeating the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

to return to the WNBA Finals. However, they lost to the 27–7

in three games. During the 2011 season, Betty sold Dream Too LLC to local investors Mary Brock and

Kelly Loeffler Kelly Lynn Loeffler ( ; born November 27, 1970) is an American businesswoman and politician who has served as the 28th administrator of the Small Business Administration since February 20, 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a ...

. The Dream started the 2012 season with a 12–12 record and fired head coach and general manager Meadors during a dispute with league-leading scorer Angel McCoughtry. Meadors was replaced by Fred Williams, finished with a 19–15 record, and lost in the first round. The following 2013 season, the team again made it to the WNBA Finals, and again was swept by the Lynx. Williams' contract was not renewed.

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956), nicknamed "Coop", is an American basketball coach and former player. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers during his entire career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning five NBA champ ...

was then hired for the 2014 season. He led the team to the playoffs in 2014 and 2016 but was fired after failing to make the playoffs in 2017. On October 30, 2017, the Dream hired Nicki Collen as their new head coach. Collen came over to Atlanta after serving as an assistant coach for the

. Collen helped the Dream finish first in the Eastern Conference in 2018, finishing with a 23-11 record. They ultimately ended up losing in the Semifinals that year. 2019 was a struggle for the Dream. Angel McCoughtry was still recovering from her ACL tear that occurred during the 2018 year. Tiffany Hayes and Brittney Sykes were bright spots – both averaging in double figures for the year. But that wasn't enough, the Dream finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference with a 8-26 record. With the WNBA's lottery system of 2-year combine records, the Dream had the worst shot at receiving the top pick in the 2020 WNBA draft and they received the 4th Overall Pick.

Rebranding and Turmoil (2020–2021)

On October 18, 2019, the Dream unveiled an updated logo and color scheme, the first change to their branding since the team's inception in 2008. Star Angel McCoughtry announced that she wasn't going to return to the Dream in the 2020 season – choosing to sign with the

Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home game ...

. This began the transformation of the new look Dream. Tiffany Hayes and Renee Montgomery announced that they would be sitting out the "bubble" season – leaving Elizabeth Williams as the only starter coming back from the last two seasons. The Dream selected young star guard Chennedy Carter in the 2020 WNBA draft to start the rebuild. The Dream played slightly better in 2020 compared to 2019, but still missed the playoffs with a 7-15 record and were the third worst team in the league. Shortly after the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

began, the WNBA and players' union decided to put

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

and Say Her Name slogans on warmup gear and opening weekend uniforms.Atlanta Dream, Co-Owned By Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, Is Close To Being Sold
/ref> By then, team owner

was a Republican U.S. Senator, and she criticized the league's support for Black Lives Matter. At the next game, Dream players wore black T-shirts with the slogan "VOTE WARNOCK," endorsing her election opponent

Raphael Warnock Raphael Gamaliel Warnock ( ; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptists, Baptist pastor serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...

, an African-American pastor who then defeated Loeffler. The players' union then demanded that Loeffler sell her stake in the team. A three-member investor group, including former Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery, were approved to purchase the team in February 2021. Collen seemed excited for the upcoming

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, but left the Dream to go to Baylor about a week before the season began. The Dream promoted Mike Petersen to interim head coach, but he stepped down on July 24 for health reasons. Darius Taylor took over as interim coach through the end of the regular season. Coaching changes weren't the only issue the Dream faced. Chennedy Carter was suspended on July 5, 2021, due to conduct detrimental to the team and never played again. The Dream's season once again put them at the bottom of the standings and missed the playoffs again. They went 8–24 during the year. Following the season, it was announced that Courtney Williams and Crystal Bradford would not be re-signed due to their roles in an altercation off the court. The league announced that they would be suspended for a couple games in the 2022 season. The Dream and Carter could not work out their differences from the following season, and on February 5, 2022, the Dream traded her to the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

in exchange for Erica Wheeler and some draft picks.

The Rhyne Howard Era (2022–present)

Tasked with trying to turn the team around, the Dream hired Tanisha Wright as their new head coach on October 12, 2021. Wright had played in the league for 12 years and had most recently been an assistant under Bill Laimbeer of the

. Wright hired Christie Sides, Paul Goriss, and Barbara Turner to her staff in March of 2022. The Dream also announced some new partners and sponsors for the upcoming season.

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

were announced on April 5, 2022. The Dream also announced Emory Healthcare as the first-ever marquee jersey partner. The expanded partnership was put on display as the Emory Healthcare logo made its debut on the Dream’s jerseys during the 2022 season. The Dream began looking for their next face of the franchise and acquire the 1st Overall Pick in the

2022 WNBA draft The 2022 WNBA Draft, the WNBA's draft for the 2022 WNBA season, was held on April 11, 2022, in New York City and aired live on WNBA on ESPN, ESPN in the United States and on The Sports Network, TSN1/4 in Canada at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, EDT ...

from the

on April 6, 2022. They selected

Rhyne Howard Rhyne Howard (born April 29, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Vinyl BC of Unrivaled (basketball). She played college basketball for the Kent ...

out of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

as the 1st Overall Pick. Howard was a three-time AP All-America First Team selection, averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a senior. In 2025, the Dream signed 10-time All-Star

Brittney Griner Brittney Yvette Griner (; born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's natio ...

on a one-year deal.

Arenas

The Dream played at

in downtown Atlanta, shared with the

, from 2008 to 2016. In 2013, the team qualified for the

, but a scheduling conflict forced them to play home games at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, in suburban

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

. Due to renovations to Philips Arena during the Hawks' 2017 and 2018 offseasons, the Dream played home games at

McCamish Pavilion Hank McCamish Pavilion, nicknamed The Thrillerdome and originally known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum, is an list of indoor arenas, indoor arena located on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. It is the ...

on the campus of the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

. The team returned to the renovated and former Philips Arena, which was renamed State Farm Arena in 2018, for the 2019 season. Following the conclusion of the 2019 WNBA regular season, team officials indicated that the Dream would not be returning to State Farm Arena for the 2020 season, citing disagreements with the Hawks' management. The team announced on October 18, 2019, coinciding with their rebranding, they would move to the new

in nearby College Park for the 2020 season (later delayed to the 2021 season), sharing the arena with the Hawks'

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.

Season-by-season records

Players

Current roster

Other rights owned

Former players

* Kalani Brown (2020-2021), currently with the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

* Izi Castro Marques (2008–2011) * Érika de Souza (2008–2015) * Katie Feenstra-Mattera (2008) * Lindsey Harding (2011–2012), currently an assistant coach of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

(2009)

* Ivory Latta (2008–2009) * Shalee Lehning (2009–2011) * Betty Lennox (2008) * Camille Little (2008), currently an assistant coach with the

Dallas Wings The Dallas Wings are an American professional basketball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Wings compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team is owned by a group ...

* Sancho Lyttle (2009–2017) * Kristen Mann (2008) * Angel McCoughtry (2009–2019) * Coco Miller (2009–2011) * DeLisha Milton-Jones (2014–2015) * Shoni Schimmel (2014–2015) *

(2009) * Nikki Teasley (2008)

Coaches and staff

Owners

* Ron Terwilliger (2008–2009) *Kathy Betty (2010) *Dream Too LLC, composed of Mary Brock and

(2011–2021) *Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and Renee Montgomery (2021–present)

Executives

*President & COO – Bill Bolen (2008–2009) *Co-owner & CEO – Kathy Betty (2010–2011) *CEO – Peter J. Canalichio (2012) *CEO – Ashley Preisinger (2012–2014) *President & CEO – Theresa Wenzel (2014–2016) *President & General Manager – Chris Sienko (2017–2021) *President & COO – Morgan Shaw Parker (2022–present)

Head coaches

General managers

* Marynell Meadors (2008–2012) * Fred Williams (2012–2013) * Angela Taylor (2014–2016) *Chris Sienko (2017–2021) * Dan Padover (2021–present)

Assistant coaches

* Katy Steding (2008) * Fred Williams (2008–2012) *Sue Panek (2008–2011) * Carol Ross (2009–2011) *Joe Ciampi (2012–2013) * Julie Plank (2013) * Karleen Thompson (2013–2017) *

Teresa Edwards Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist. In 2000, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine placed her as 22nd of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century". She ...

(2014) * Tellis Frank (2015) *Miles Cooper (2016–2017) *Mike Petersen (2017–2020) * Darius Taylor (2017–2021) *La'Keshia Frett (2021–2022) *Daynia La-Force (2021–2022) * Christie Sides (2022) * Paul Goriss (2022–2024) * Barbara Turner (2022–2024) * Vickie Johnson (2023–2024) * LaToya Sanders (2025–present) * Brandi Poole (2025–present) *Camryn Brown (2025–present) *Chelsea Lyles (2025–present)

Statistics

, - ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, B. Lennox (17.5) , E. de Souza (6.6) , I. Latta (3.6) , 74.5 vs 84.7 , 31.7 vs 37.2 , .396 vs .450 , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, I. Castro Marques (14.4) , E. de Souza (9.1) , S. Lehning (3.7) , 84.1 vs 82.3 , 37.0 vs 34.5 , .449 vs .421 , - , - ,

, A. McCoughtry (21.1) , S. Lyttle (9.9) , S. Lehning (4.8) , 85.4 vs 83.1 , 38.8 vs 34.1 , .444 vs .435 , - ,

, A. McCoughtry (21.6) , E. de Souza (7.5) , L. Harding (4.8) , 82.5 vs 80.8 , 36.1 vs 34.6 , .446 vs .431 , - ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, A. McCoughtry (21.4) , E. de Souza (8.2) , L. Harding (4.5) , 78.6 vs 75.8 , 34.8 vs 34.5 , .434 vs .415 , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, A. McCoughtry (21.5) , E. de Souza (9.9) , A. McCoughtry (4.4) , 76.9 vs 75.4 , 35.6 vs 35.7 , .423 vs .420 , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, A. McCoughtry (18.5) , S. Lyttle (9.0) , C. Dumerc (4.0) , 80.6 vs 78.6 , 37.7 vs 34.3 , .433 vs .429 , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, A. McCoughtry (20.1) , S. Lyttle (8.3) , S. Schimmel (3.2) , 77.8 vs 79.8 , 34.6 vs 32.1 , .411 vs .436 , - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, A. McCoughtry (19.5) , E. Williams (8.1) , L. Clarendon (3.5) , 81.8 vs 84.0 , 36.5 vs 34.9 , .422 vs .435 , - ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, T. Hayes (16.3) , E. Williams (7.2) , L. Clarendon (6.6) , 78.9 vs 82.7 , 35.1 vs 36.0 , .409 vs .438 , - ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, T. Hayes (17.2) , J. Breland (7.9) , R. Montgomery (3.7) , 81.8 vs 79.5 , 35.8 vs 36.5 , .426 vs .423 , - ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, T. Hayes (14.7) , J. Breland (7.3) , A. Bentley (3.0) , 71.2 vs 78.9 , 36.1 vs 39.5 , .371 vs .416 , - , - ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, C. Carter (17.4) , M. Billings (8.5) , B. Laney (4.0) , 81.0 vs 87.6 , 34.9 vs 35.0 , .442 vs .457 , - ,

, C. Williams (16.5) , C. Williams (6.8) , C. Williams (4.0) , 78.7 vs 84.3 , 24.4 vs 29.6 , .417 vs .457 , - ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, R. Howard (16.2) , M. Billings (6.3) , E. Wheeler (3.9) , 78.5 vs 81.5 , 35.5 vs 33.9 , .420 vs .432 , - ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, R. Howard (17.5) , Ch. Parker (6.7) , R. Howard (3.5) , 82.5 vs 84.0 , 36.1 vs 35.7 , .428 vs .430 , - ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, R. Howard (17.3) , T. Charles (9.6) , J. Canada (5.8) , 77.0 vs 79.8 , 36.1 vs 34.6 , .408 vs .429

Media coverage and social media

Currently, some Dream games are broadcast on Bally Sports Southeast and Bally Sports South. Some Dream games are broadcast nationally on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...

, ABC,

Ion Television Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American broadcast television network and FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

and

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports ...

. In late 2024/early 2025, the team gained publicity as a video of a young man dancing courtside at an Atlanta Dream game went viral on social media platforms

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

and

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. The meme was dubiously nicknamed "chopped chin", in reference to the man's elongated chin.

All-time notes

Regular season attendance

* A sellout for a basketball game at

State Farm Arena State Farm Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hock ...

has differed slightly throughout its history: ** 18,729 from 2008 to 2011 ** 18,371 in 2012 ** 18,238 in 2013 ** 18,118 in 2014 ** 18,047 in 2015 and 2016 ** 16,600 in 2019 * A sellout for a basketball game at

has been 8,600 since 2012, before the Dream temporarily moved in for 2017 and 2018. * A sellout for a basketball game at the

is 3,500 since 2021.

Draft picks

*2008 Expansion Draft: Carla Thomas, Érika de Souza, Katie Feenstra, Roneeka Hodges, Ann Strother, LaToya Thomas, Kristen Mann, Ann Wauters, Jennifer Lacy, Kristin Haynie, Chantelle Anderson, Betty Lennox, Yelena Leuchanka *2008: Tamera Young (8), Morenike Atunrase (24), Danielle Hood (32) *2009

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Dispersal Draft: Sancho Lyttle (1) *2009: Angel McCoughtry (1), Shalee Lehning (25), Jessica Morrow (27) *2010

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

Dispersal Draft: selection waived *2010: Chanel Mokango (9), Brigitte Ardossi (21), Brittainey Raven (33) *2011: Ta'Shia Phillips (8), Rachel Jarry (18), Kelsey Bolte (32) *2012: Tiffany Hayes (14), Isabelle Yacoubou (32, ''ineligible'') *2013: Alex Bentley (13), Anne Marie Armstrong (31) *2014: Shoni Schimmel (8), Inga Orekhova (18), Cassie Harberts (20) *2015: Samantha Logic (10), Ariel Massengale (29), Lauren Okafor (34) *2016: Bria Holmes (9), Rachel Hollivay (13), Courtney Walker (16), Niya Johnson (28) *2017: Brittney Sykes (7), Jordan Reynolds (19), Oderah Chidom (31) *2018: Monique Billings (15), Kristy Wallace (16), Mackenzie Engram (27) *2019: Brianna Turner (11), Maite Cazorla (23), Li Yueru (35) *2020: Chennedy Carter (4), Brittany Brewer (17), Mikayla Pivec (25), Kobi Thornton (27) *2021: Aari McDonald (3), Raquel Carrera (15), Lindsey Pulliam (27) *2022:

(1), Naz Hillmon (15) *2023: Haley Jones (6),

Laeticia Amihere Laeticia Amihere (born July 10, 2001) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's baske ...

(8), Leigha Brown (15) *2024: Nyadiew Puoch (12), Isobel Borlase (20), Matilde Villa (32) *2025:

Te-Hina Paopao Te-Hina Olive-Talaave Paopao (born August 21, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at South Carolina Gamecocks women's basket ...

(18), Taylor Thierry (36)

Trades

*February 6, 2008: The Dream traded LaToya Thomas and the 18th pick in the 2008 WNBA draft to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Ivory Latta. *February 6, 2008: The Dream traded the fourth pick in the 2008 WNBA draft and Roneeka Hodges to the Seattle Storm for Izi Castro Marques and the eighth pick in the draft. *February 6, 2008: The Dream acquired the 24th pick in the 2008 WNBA draft from the Indiana Fever in exchange for agreeing not to select specific unprotected Fever players in the expansion draft. *April 9, 2008: The Dream traded Ann Wauters, draft rights to Morenike Atunrase, and a second-round pick in the 2009 WNBA draft to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for Camille Little, draft rights to Chioma Nnamaka, and a first-round pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. *June 22, 2008: The Dream traded Camille Little to the Seattle Storm in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. *July 4, 2008: The Dream traded Kristen Mann to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Alison Bales. *December 17, 2008: The Dream traded the 13th pick in the 2009 WNBA draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for the rights to Chamique Holdsclaw. *January 21, 2009: The Dream traded Alison Bales to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for the 18th pick in the 2009 Draft. *April 9, 2009: The Dream traded the 18th pick in the 2009 WNBA draft to the Detroit Shock in exchange for Ashley Shields. *August 12, 2009: The Dream traded Tamera Young to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Armintie Price. *March 11, 2010: The Dream traded Michelle Snow to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for Dalma Ivanyi and the right to swap second-round picks in the 2010 Draft. *April 11, 2011: The Dream traded Rachel Jarry and second-round pick in 2012 WNBA draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Felicia Chester. *April 11, 2011: The Dream traded Ta'Shia Phillips, Kelly Miller and first-round pick in 2012 WNBA draft to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Lindsey Harding and second-round pick in 2012 Draft. *February 19, 2013: The Dream traded the 7th and 19th pick in the 2013 WNBA draft to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Jasmine Thomas and second-round pick in 2013 Draft. *March 12, 2014: The Dream traded Alex Bentley and the 32nd pick in the 2014 WNBA draft to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Matee Ajavon and the 18th pick in the 2014 Draft from the Washington Mystics. *May 7, 2014: The Dream traded Courtney Clements to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Swin Cash. *July 9, 2014: The Dream traded Swin Cash to the New York Liberty in exchange for DeLisha Milton-Jones. *April 16, 2015: The Dream traded Jasmine Thomas to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Brittany Hrynko. *July 27, 2015: The Dream traded Érika de Souza to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Damiris Dantas, Reshanda Gray, and a first-round pick in 2016 Draft from the Minnesota Lynx. Minnesota received Sylvia Fowles and a second-round pick in 2016 WNBA draft from Chicago as part of this trade. *February 3, 2016: The Dream traded the 4th pick in the 2016 Draft to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Elizabeth Williams. *May 2, 2016: The Dream traded Shoni Schimmel to the New York Liberty in exchange for second-round pick in 2017 Draft. *January 26, 2017: The Dream traded Reshanda Gray to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Aneika Henry-Morello. *April 12, 2018: The Dream receive 15th pick in 2018 WNBA draft and a second-round pick in 2019 WNBA draft in exchange for Bria Holmes. *July 9, 2018: The Dream receive Alex Bentley in exchange for Layshia Clarendon and a second-round pick in 2019 WNBA draft. *May 16, 2019: The Dream receive Dallas' third-round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft in exchange for Imani McGee-Stafford. *February 10, 2020: The Dream traded Brittney Sykes and Marie Gülich to Los Angeles in exchange for Kalani Brown. *February 19, 2020: The Dream traded Jessica Breland and Nia Coffey to Phoenix as part of a three-way trade with Connecticut in exchange for Courtney Williams and the 17th pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. *February 21, 2021: The Dream traded their third-round pick in the 2022 Draft in exchange for Yvonne Turner. *January 31, 2022: The Dream traded a third-round pick in the 2023 Draft to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Kia Vaughn. *February 5, 2022: The Dream traded Chennedy Carter and the rights to Li Yueru to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Erica Wheeler, a second-round pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and a first-round pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. *April 6, 2022: The Dream traded the 3rd and 14th overall picks in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Los Angeles Sparks to the Washington Mystics in exchange for the 1st Overall Pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft. *June 8, 2022: The Dream traded Megan Walker and the rights to Raquel Carrera to the New York Liberty in exchange for AD Durr. *January 12, 2023: The Dream traded Kristy Wallace to Indiana in exchange for Danielle Robinson. *January 21, 2023: The Dream traded the third pick in the 2023 Draft and a first round pick in the 2025 Draft in exchange for Allisha Gray. *February 9, 2023: The Dream traded Tiffany Hayes to Connecticut in exchange for the sixth pick in the 2023 Draft. *May 16, 2023: The Dream traded Leigha Brown to Connecticut in exchange for a third round pick in the 2025 Draft. *February 1, 2024: The Dream traded the 8th pick in the 2024 Draft and Aari McDonald to Los Angeles in exchange for Jordin Canada and the 12th pick in the 2024 Draft. *May 4, 2024: The Dream traded their third round pick in the 2025 Draft to Dallas in exchange for Crystal Dangerfield.

All-Stars

*2008: No All-Star Game *2009: Érika de Souza, Sancho Lyttle *2010: Izi Castro Marques, Sancho Lyttle, Angel McCoughtry *2011: Angel McCoughtry *2012: No All-Star Game *2013: Angel McCoughtry, Érika de Souza *2014: Angel McCoughtry, Érika de Souza, Shoni Schimmel *2015: Angel McCoughtry, Shoni Schimmel *2016: No All-Star Game *2017: Layshia Clarendon, Tiffany Hayes, Elizabeth Williams *2018: Angel McCoughtry *2019: None Selected *2020: No All-Star Game *2021: Courtney Williams *2022: Rhyne Howard *2023: Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Cheyenne Parker *2024: Allisha Gray

Olympians

*2012: Angel McCoughtry, Érika de Souza ( BRA) *2016: Angel McCoughtry *2024: Laeticia Amihere ( CAN), Rhyne Howard, ( USA 3x3), Iliana Rupert ( FRA)

Honors and awards

*2009 ''Rookie of the Year:'' Angel McCoughtry *2009 ''Coach of the Year:'' Marynell Meadors *2009 ''All-Defensive Second Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2009 ''All-Rookie Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2010 ''All-WNBA First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2010 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2010 ''All-Defensive Second Team:'' Sancho Lyttle *2011 ''All-WNBA First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2011 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2011 ''All-Defensive Second Team:'' Sancho Lyttle and Armintie Price *2012 ''Peak Performer (Points):'' Angel McCoughtry *2012 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Sancho Lyttle *2012 ''All-Defensive Second Team:'' Armintie Price *2012 ''All-Rookie Team:'' Tiffany Hayes *2013 ''All-WNBA Second Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2013 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry and Armintie Price *2013 ''All-Rookie Team:'' Alex Bentley *2014 ''WNBA All-Star Game MVP:'' Shoni Schimmel *2014 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry and Sancho Lyttle *2014 ''All-WNBA Second Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2015 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2015 ''All-Defensive Second Team:'' Sancho Lyttle *2015 ''Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award:'' DeLisha Milton-Jones *2015 ''All-WNBA First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2016 ''Most Improved Player:'' Elizabeth Williams *2016 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Angel McCoughtry *2017 ''All-Rookie Team:'' Brittney Sykes *2018 ''Coach of the Year:'' Nicki Collen *2018 ''Executive of the Year:'' Chris Sienko *2018 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Jessica Breland *2018 ''All-Defensive Second Team:'' Tiffany Hayes *2020 ''Most Improved Player:'' Betnijah Laney *2020 ''All-Rookie Team:'' Chennedy Carter *2020 ''All-Defensive First Team:'' Betnijah Laney, Elizabeth Williams *2022 ''Rookie of the Year:'' Rhyne Howard *2022 ''All-Rookie Team:'' Rhyne Howard

References

External links

Article announcing new franchise

{{Georgia Sports Women's National Basketball Association teams Basketball teams established in 2008 Basketball teams in Georgia (U.S. state) Sports clubs and teams in Atlanta