by | Brittney Griner was the first person to exit the elevator onto the 14th floor of the downtown skyscraper. She was followed by fellow free agent signees, Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, and first-year Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko, a new signing of the team in his own right. The future of the city’s WNBA franchise, Ryhne Howard and Allisha Gray was seated in the front row at Ventanas when the trio and the coach made their way to the table to address the media.
Griner, Jones, and Walker-Kimbrough were officially announced as the team’s newest members on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The additions immediately make the Dream one of the front-runners in the Eastern Conference. The Dream finished the 2024 season with a 15-25 overall record and was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the New York Liberty.
The key piece of the new trio, Griner, had her wife and son in attendance when she spoke about her decision to join the Dream. She credited Howard, Gray, and the Dream fan base as reasons for coming south. She said every time she played in Atlanta she could feel the energy of the crowd during games.
Jones had similar thoughts about signing with the Dream.
“I think I chose Atlanta because of the people, the culture, and everything they are establishing here is amazing,” Jones said.
Griner averaged nearly 18 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game for Phoenix last season. Jones, also a multi-WNBA All-Star, averaged 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and shot 53.8% from the field for Connecticut. Walker-Kimbrough played for the Washington Mystic and averaged 7.5 points per game.
Atlanta Dream General Manager Dan Podover called the day “historic” and referred to the signing as “a home run.”
“Not just for the Atlanta Dream, but for the city of Atlanta,” Padover said.
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