Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham are the latest WNBA players to sign with Women’s Basketball Startup League Project Bwhich will start playing in Europe, Asia and Latin America in 2026.
On Monday and Tuesday, the league revealed that Mitchell and Cunningham would join its expanding roster that includes names like Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm forward And Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury forward. Like Ogwumike and Thomas, the Fever stars will also own the league. “Project B represents the next evolution of women’s basketball,” Mitchell said in a statement Monday. “I am honored to be part of this global movement and excited to compete on a stage built for the future of the game.”
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Cunningham echoed her Fever teammate’s thoughts, saying she was “excited to join the roster of Project B athletes as they launch a new chapter in women’s basketball.” The WNBA star, who had already criticized the WNBApraised the startup organization as it strives to grow basketball globally. “Our game is growing in popularity and I am determined to continue this momentum in any way possible, both at home in the United States and beyond,” she said.
Mitchell and Cunningham are the eighth and ninth players announced to join the league, founded by former Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice. In addition to Mitchell, Cunningham, Ogwumike and Thomas, several other players with ties to the WNBA have joined the organization, including New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd, Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, former Washington Mystics guard Li Meng and Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun.
Project B, which is expected to run from November 2026 to April 2027, will consist of six teams of 11 players and will be played on a traveling circuit, similar to other sports such as tennis and golf. The new league has focused on player compensation, a point of contention in the WNBA’s ongoing CBA negotiations, and has reportedly promised to compensate players. salaries that start at $2 million per year.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Two Fever stars expand WNBA athlete roster by joining Project B league
