The margin for error diminishes quickly during the WNBA offseason, especially for veterans without a guaranteed contract. With free agency approaching and roster spots tightening, every decision becomes a quiet audition for what’s next.
This reality framed Aerial Powers’ latest announcement. On January 19, 2026, the Indiana Fever guard revealed that she had moved to Nashville to compete in the fifth season of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball, opting for a domestic route in the off-season rather than heading overseas.
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Timing is just as important as the move itself. Powers enters the winter as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2026 WNBA season, with no guaranteed contract and limited windows to showcase his health and consistency. As a result, this isn’t just an offseason stopgap. It’s a positional game.
Powers announced the move through a YouTube video and a post on The message was clear and direct. “I moved to Nashville…and a new chapter has officially begun.”
This quote stands alone because it explains the intention. Powers doesn’t view Athletes Unlimited as a side project. Instead, she treats it as a reset point after a turbulent 2025 campaign split between two franchises.
Earlier last season, Powers briefly joined the Golden State Valkyries before landing with Indiana on a short-term deal. However, injuries on Fever’s roster have created an opportunity. Powers earned a contract for the remainder of the season and became part of a playoff group that pushed deep despite limited continuity.
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Yet the outcome remained unfinished business. She leaves 2025 without a deal for 2026, which means every minute of live basketball before free agency carries weight. For this reason, Athletes Unlimited offers something that few other options can.
Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball takes place annually during the WNBA offseason and maintains the traditional 5×5 format. However, unlike team leagues, it crowns an individual champion using a points system that rewards both team success and individual production.
The 2026 season will run from February 4 to March 1 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, with 40 players. Of those, 27 are active WNBA players, split evenly between newcomers and returning contenders.
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This balance matters. The league is not developmental. It is competitive by design, making it ideal for veterans looking to restore value. The $500,000 purse raises the stakes even higher, but exposure could be the real prize for players like Powers.
The field is led by Tina Charles, the WNBA’s all-time leader in rebounds and field goals. His decision to compete at the national level after years of off-season international play reflects a larger trend.
The wider off-season change
WNBA players now have more U.S.-based options than ever before. Leagues like Unrivaled are offering alternatives via modified formats, while international contracts remain available for those wishing to travel.
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However, Athletes Unlimited stands alone in one critical area. It is the only national off-season league outside of the WNBA that preserves full 5×5 basketball. For this reason, it more closely reflects the spacing, tempo and physical demands of the WNBA than any other option.
This similarity is important for free agents. Teams evaluating players want transferable tapes, not projections. As a result, strong performances in Nashville can translate directly into roster conversations once free agency opens.
In the meantime, more recent ventures like Project B are expected to enter the calendar in 2027 with international events. However, these opportunities require travel and prolonged absences. Athletes Unlimited allows players to stay in the United States while maintaining the pace of the game.
For Powers, the decision aligns with urgency. She is a former WNBA champion whose recent seasons were interrupted by short contracts and roster instability. At this point, availability and consistency matter as much as raw production.
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By committing to Athletes Unlimited early and moving to Nashville, she eliminates uncertainty. It guarantees itself live minutes, elite competition and a familiar system ahead of free agency discussions.
More importantly, she controls the narrative. Instead of entering February as an unsigned veteran with limited exposure, Powers enters as an active contributor in Athletes Unlimited’s deepest field yet.
Athletes Unlimited begins February 4. This date now constitutes the next checkpoint in the timeline of Powers’ career.
If she emerges healthy and productive against a roster stacked with current WNBA talent, the conversation around her free agency changes quickly. Teams looking for depth, experience or defensive versatility will have recent evidence rather than guesswork.
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For now, the move away from the traditional offseason path is deliberate. Nashville is not a detour. This is the testing ground that the powers have chosen for the future.
The position Fever Guard announces step away from court during WNBA offseason appeared first on EssentiallySport.
