Holly Winterburn has brokes her silence after shock Atlanta Dream release before WNBA debut.
According to Irish Star, the former Oregon Ducks shooting guard said she was boarding the team bus for Sunday's trip to face the Minnesota Lynx when she was told she would have no part to play under head coach Karl Smesko this year, 12 months after an injury forced her to miss the entire 2025 campaign.
The Dream went on to secure a narrow 91-90 victory over the Lynx to get their season off to the perfect start, despite the efforts of former Notre Dame and TCU star Olivia Miles, as debutant Angel Reese played her part by pulling down 14 rebounds and contributing 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Winterburn wrote, “I thought my welcome to the W moment would happen on the court, not as I'm getting on the bus for my first ever game. But that's the reality of this business & I will always be grateful for the opportunity Atlanta gave me.”
"I'm built for this. Thank you to everyone who has checked in on me & sent love. Everything happens for a reason and I'm so excited for what's next," she added.
Winterburn's post soon made its way to other social media platforms, where fans displayed just how shocked they had been by the way she had been treated by the Dream.
A user wrote, “These franchises could definitely handle some of these things better, not letting her on the bus is kind of cruel.”
“Getting on the bus??????? Nah thats just wrong," said another.
Back in 2025, Atlanta first signed the Northampton, England native to a training camp contract under the rookie scale.
But before her WNBA journey could even begin, Winterburn suffered an injury that forced her to miss the entire 2025 season.
Still, Atlanta retained her exclusive WNBA rights, which gave many fans hope that the organization still viewed her as part of its future plans.
