Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
The WNBA has a big problem on its hands. It is almost guaranteed to find itself in the midst of a lockout once the league’s collective bargaining agreement comes to an end on Nov. 30, but that’s far from the only significant issue it is facing. Now there is yet another professional women’s basketball league on the horizon. And they are offering players big bucks.
In addition to many players earning more money playing overseas and with the fledgling Unrivaled basketball league than they do in the WNBA, a new league is now offering them even more money. The league, called Project B, isn’t playing either. None other than the WNBPA President and 2016 WNBA MVP, Nneka Ogwumike, has already signed with them. Multiple sources have also told Front Office Sports that Ogwumike isn’t the only current WNBA player to have signed a deal.
Project B plans to host tournaments across Asia, Europe, and Latin America from November 2026 through April 2027. Front Office Sports reports “multiple stars are being offered seven-figure salaries starting at $2 million annually, with their earnings for multiyear deals reaching eight figures.” Players will also be offered equity in Project B, much like they have been with Unrivaled.
Unlike Unrivaled, Project B will be a straight five-on-five league. The plan is to have six teams consisting of 11 players each.
How big of a threat is Project B to the WNBA and Unrivaled?
Perhaps the only thing that might save the WNBA is that, like Unrivaled, Project B will be competing during the WNBA offseason. That being said, if players can make significantly more money playing for Project B (or Unrivaled), what will be their incentive to continue to play year-round? Especially when the WNBA has a current supermax salary of $249,244 and Unrivaled paid its players an average of $220,000 during its first season.
Unrivaled’s saving grace, on the other hand, is the fact that the league has signed almost 30 players to multi-year contracts. Not listed among them, though, are A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Jonquel Jones, and DeWanna Bonner. Others, like Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, and Angel Reese, did play in the league’s first season, but are not currently on a roster for year two.
“We’re confident with what we’ve built in collaboration with our athletes, partners, and investors,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement to FOS. “We remain consistent in our approach to pay players competitively, provide a meaningful stake in the business, and keep them home year-round. We continue to be a player-first league that’s additive to the overall women’s basketball ecosystem and WNBA, and we look forward to building on the success from season one this upcoming January.”
Project B was founded by former Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype cofounder Geoff Prentice. Counted among the league’s investors are Candace Parker, Alana Beard, Lauren Jackson, Novak Djokovic, and Sloane Stephens. Beard will serve as the league’s chief basketball officer.