Renee Montgomery’s work as a USA Network studio analyst during the WNBA Finals earned a public salute from her co-host after the Atlanta Dream, a team she co-owns, fell 68-63 to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 7 on Saturday.
Sports anchor Elle Duncan, her co-host on the network’s coverage, told Montgomery on air, “It never impacted your analysis,” and followed up with more praise Monday. The tribute came for an analyst whose dual role had drawn scrutiny and questions about bias since early in the series.
Elle Duncan Salutes Dream Co-Owner Renee Montgomery’s Objectivity During Finals Coverage
Before praising the work, Duncan reminded viewers exactly what her studio colleague had riding on the series: “I do want to give a quick acknowledgment to my friend and co-host here with me, Renee Montgomery, because we have been mentioning it that, if you didn’t know, Renee is one of the owners of the Atlanta Dream.”
From there, the anchor turned to how Montgomery carried that stake: “And I think that your 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.”
Flowers to @ReneeMontgomery for displaying such a true act of professionalism all season long💐💐💐
She gon be cryin in the club thooo😂😭💀 pic.twitter.com/of5DTWdDu9
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncantv) November 2, 2026
She then graded the work itself: “And I think it was a really high level of execution, and you just absolutely nailed it, Renee.”
The anchor took that message beyond the broadcast Monday, two days after the Valkyries clinched the title, and stretched it from the Finals to Montgomery’s full season, offering “flowers” to her co-host “for displaying such a true act of professionalism all season long.”
The stake Duncan mentioned was on display before the Finals even tipped off. When the Dream locked up their place in the Finals, Montgomery was courtside to join the celebration, and then spent the series breaking down Atlanta’s matchup with Golden State from the studio.
Montgomery addressed the bias concerns herself in October. “I love the sport so much that you have to cover it a certain way.”
The 11-year WNBA veteran then explained how she weighs a player’s performance.
“I understand the effort, I understand the grind, I understand all the sacrifice that went into a player having a good game. So whether or not that player is playing for the Atlanta Dream doesn’t matter. I have to analyze the game for what I see,” Montgomery added.
On the network side, Front Office Sports reported that USA Network had not set any guidelines limiting what Montgomery could say on air, citing a network source.
On the court, the series ended on Golden State’s terms. Finals MVP Gabby Williams scored 30 points, 28 of them after halftime, as the Valkyries rallied from a 30-24 deficit at the break to win the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history and closed it out for their first championship in only their second season.
The loss ended the season one win short of a title for Angel Reese’s Dream, and the franchise will head into the offseason to get back to the board and map out the blueprint that gets them a ring of their own.
