AU Pro Basketball Set for Feb 5 Tipoff in Nashville with Deep Roster and Broad Distribution

January 16, 2025, New York, N.Y. – Season four of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball is set to tip off in Nashville on February 5, with a deep and diverse roster of talent featuring Olympians, WNBA Champions and emerging young players taking their talents to Music City.

Led by three-time WNBA champion and 2023 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Alysha Clark (currently with the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA), two-time WNBA All-Defensive Team member Elizabeth Williams (Chicago Sky), WNBA veteran and three-time Olympian Kia Nurse (Los Angeles Sparks), and high-profile rising stars including Alissa Pili (Minnesota Lynx), Jordan Horston (Seattle Storm), and Jaylyn Sherrod (New York Liberty), the fourth season of AU Pro Basketball boasts one of its most balanced rosters with significant depth. 

For the second consecutive year, more than half of the AU Pro Basketball roster features players with WNBA experience. This year’s roster also features a plethora of newcomers, with 24 of the 40 players competing in AU Pro Basketball for the first time. In addition to the newcomers, notable players returning to AU include two-time WNBA champions Kierstan Bell and Sydney Colson; 2022 WNBA champion Theresa “TP” Plaisance; 2021 WNBA champion Lexie Brown, who also serves as the chairperson of the AU Pro Basketball Player Executive Committee; and Maddy Siegrist, who was the third overall selection in the 2023 WNBA Draft. 

In addition, the roster includes multiple players with Tennessee ties coming to Nashville, including: former Tennessee Lady Vols Jordan Horston, Isabelle Harrison and Meighan Simmons; former Middle Tennessee State and Belmont star Alysha Clark and Nashville native and former Lipscomb University standout Dorie Harrison. Isabelle Harrison has the distinction of being the final WNBA player to have been coached by Tennessee legend Pat Summitt.

In all, 40 competitors will vie to be crowned individual champion in the 24-game campaign set to run from February 5 – March 2, 2025 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Single game day tickets are on sale here (full schedule is available here).

All 24 games will be available for fans to watch nationwide, with 10 games airing exclusively on ESPN+ and 14 games carried jointly on the WNBA App for free as well the FanDuel Sports Network. The broadcast team of basketball icon Sheryl Swoopes and Cindy Brunson will lead coverage for the fourth consecutive season. Ari Chambers will serve as an in-game reporter, with Greg Mescall rounding out the talent roster.

In addition, Shelley Patterson (most recently an assistant coach with the Washington Mystics), Karima Christmas-Kelly (assistant coach with the Indiana Fever), Austin Kelly (assistant coach with the Indiana Fever) and Roneeka Hodges (assistant coach with the Connecticut Sun), will serve as facilitators this season. Season. AU Pro Basketball this year has expanded its player development function, as former Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Danielle Viglione returns for her third year, and will be joined by Ryan Sypkens. The expanded team will provide even more opportunities for player development during this crucial time of year for players.

Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball was the first winter pro women’s basketball league to launch in the United States when it began in 2022 and remains the only platform in the U.S. offering professional women the opportunity to play five-on-five full court basketball outside of the WNBA. Innovative in its player-focused approach, AU Pro Basketball provides an ability for WNBA players to stay in the U.S. during the offseason while also providing playing opportunities for elite pro players not currently on WNBA rosters. Like other Athletes Unlimited leagues, AU Pro Basketball is led by a Player Executive Committee, and players share in long-term profits of the company. National broadcast and business partners for AU Pro Basketball include ESPN, Nike, Baden, EY, Gatorade, the U.S. Air Force, Sequel and Madam Paleta. 

“Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball will bring a new look to Music City this season, with more than half our roster including players new to the AU family joining our notable returners to create our most balanced roster yet with significant depth,” said Megan Perry, Director of Basketball for Athletes Unlimited. “The city of Nashville and the Tennessee region – a hotbed for women’s basketball for many years – has been so enthusiastic and welcoming to us, and we can’t wait to tip off next month in front of those incredible fans.”