Renee Montgomery was a star at the University of Connecticut and played in the WNBA for 11 seasons. Last year she opted out of the season. Today Montgomery announced she was hanging up her sneakers to focus on social justice reform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When I opted out in June, I was thinking \u2018Alright, I\u2019m gonna hit a little pause button and I\u2019m gonna see what\u2019s going on in the community,\u2019\u201d said an extremely emotional Montgomery on her Remotely Renee<\/em> show<\/a>. \u201cI really did not expect that to be my last game, my last anything…I just wanted to add to the momentum and it\u2019s rolling right now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Montgomery played for the Huskies from 2005-09. She was a key part of the undefeated team that won the National Championship in her senior year. She also won the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation’s best point guard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Minnesota Lynx selected her with the #4 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft. Montgomery<\/a> made the All-Rookie team in 2009, was an All-Star in 2011, and Sixth Woman of the Year in 2012. Montgomery reunited with fellow UConn alum Maya Moore on the Lynx and they won WNBA Championships in 2015 and 2017. She played for several teams including the Lynx, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, and Atlanta Dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Montgomery turned to social activism in 2019 when she started the Renee Montgomery Foundation. A year later she participated in various initiatives in Atlanta including fundraising and volunteering during Black Lives Matter protests in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n