Another female basketball league will kick Wednesday, because Athletes Unlimited will start its four-week race at the municipal auditorium in Nashville. The AU offers a list of players with WNBA and international experience, and is one of the growing options not only for basketball players, but all women athletes to continue their careers after the college in the States- United.
Athletes Unlimited, which was launched in 2020 and also has a volleyball and a softball league, was one of the first to give WNBA players a place to play in the United States during the off-season, before Unrivaled has become a destination for most of the best stars in the league. The AU is supported by a diverse group of investors, notably Kevin during and the 35V of Rich Kleiman. During and Kleiman are on the advisory council of the AU alongside sports characters like Jessica Mendoza, Abby Wambach and Caroline Wozniacki.
Here is what you need to know because the 2025 season had to count:
How does unlimited athletes work?
Now in its fourth season, Athletes Unlimited has a format led by players with an individual ranking of 40 players who will be divided into four new teams each week for six games in total. Players have points when their teams earn a quarter, when they elected a MVP in a match, or when they have a positive impact in a game, such as with points, assists and rebounds. All points are counted in a ranking, and all the impacts have different occasional values (Players can also lose points for certain actions). Each week, team captains – the best players in the weekly ranking – write their teammates. This means that players can eventually play with several different teammates throughout the season.
At the end of the season on March 2, the player at the top of the ranking ranking was the UA champion. Tianna Hawkins (2022), Nalyssa Smith (2023) and Allisha Gray (2024) were the previous champions of the League. Gray and Smith play for an unrivaled this season and Hawkins is not on the alignment of the AU, so a new champion will be crowned this season.
Who are the best players in the League?
About half of the overall list is made up of players who are also on the WNBA lists. If you’ve looked at female university basketball in recent years, you will always recognize many players who are not in the WNBA.
The most accomplished player in the league is Alysha Clark. She was one of three WNBA championship teams (two in Seattle, one in Las Vegas), and in 2023 was the sixth player of the year of the WNBA. She is joined by two compatriots from Las Vegas who also have two championships each, Sydney Colson and Kierstan Bell.
WNBA fans will recognize several out of competition on AU rankings. Lexie Brown, Isabelle Harrison, Elizabeth Williams and Kia Nurse are all tested WNBA veterans who can lead teams from to victories.
Keep an eye on young WNBA players who have also made waves so far. Jordan Horse, who plays for the Seattle storm, is known for his defense. And the Maddy Siegrist of Dallas wings can be a shot of light off – it has an average rate of the field of 50.6% in its first two seasons in the WNBA.
What scenarios should I look for?
Unlimited athletes will be the first time that fans will be able to see some players who have suffered from injury and illness at the end of the 2024 season. Elizabeth Williams missed much of her season with the Chicago sky with a torn meniscus. Lexie Brown, playing for the sparks of Los Angeles, missed a large part of the 2024 season while she was facing Crohn’s disease. The two have the competence to be among the best interpreters of unlimited athletes.
With Free WNBA Agency Still shaking, fans will also have the chance to see new combinations of teammates on the ground. The nurse recently signed, which means that she could have the chance to play with Williams, her teammate in a Chicago team which will be different in 2025. Odyssey Sims and Brown are new teammates in a LOS reconstruction team Angeles and could be teammates in the AU.
In addition, all the places of a WNBA team have not been filled. With several players who still need a team, will give a chance to show their skills in real games, rather than training. This gives teams a better idea of ​​how a player can adapt to his list, especially in a five -for -five format.
It’s not better than that 🤩
We overthrow Wednesday, February 5 at the municipal auditorium in Nashville! Fight there 😉 pic.twitter.com/acp0ovelqp
– Pro Basketball (@AuProbasketball) January 31, 2025
How is it different from some of the other WNBA off-season options?
Unlike the unrivaled, Athletes Unlimited offers a format of five against five. And instead of the coaches, each team has a facilitator to advise the players, but again, it is led by the players. The captains have the most word to say in what a team will do on the field, including alignments and decisions at stake. But similar to unrivaled, there is no trip – all matches will take place in Nashville during the four weeks of the season, as well as unrivaled has its headquarters in Miami for its two -month season.
The key here is that WNBA players now have a multitude of options to continue playing during the offseason. The WNBA season is not long enough for a player to continue to improve their game, and players need more opportunities for playing. Players can always go abroad, because The leagues in China, Europe and Australia continue to like to have WNBA players in their teams. If they want to stay in the United States, they can play for an unrivaled or the AU. The options give the effect of players when they pressure for more money and better conditions.
How to look?
Each unlimited game of athletes will be broadcast on the WNBA application. Fanduel Network will also be broadcast 14 of the League games, while 10 games will be broadcast on ESPN +. Cindy Brunson and the female basketball female Sheryl Swoopes will comment for the matches. Discover the game calendar here.