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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Alysha Clark wants to end the narrative that Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled pits women’s basketball players against one another. Or that having two pro leagues forces players into an either or decision.
Clark believes the leagues are simply providing more offseason opportunities to play basketball closer to home in order to supplement their WNBA salaries.
“It addresses the issues that we’ve had as players for so many years,” Clark said. “All of us have had to go overseas and sacrifice time away from family and friends to make a living … But now there are options.”
This is Clark’s first season with Athletes Unlimited, which is in its fourth season overall. The three-time WNBA champ couldn’t be closer to home as a Tennessee high school standout who played first at Belmont, then Middle Tennessee. Unrivaled, in its first year, debuted on Jan. 17 and to Clark, that league gives superstar players an offseason option while Athletes Unlimited provides opportunity for other players wanting to hone skills in hopes of making — or keeping their spots — on WNBA rosters.
Having multiple professional women’s leagues to chose from in the U.S. as WNBA offseason options is more than many women could even dream about 15 years ago.
“It’s beautiful for our game and I’m excited that I get to be a part of it and help spearhead that here at home and like hopefully create more opportunities,” said Clark, who had to fight her way onto a WNBA roster after being cut her first two seasons. “It’d be amazing that this continues to expand and now players have many options and they’re all invested in the same ways is what I hope it ends up coming down to.”
Differences between Athletes Unlmited and Unrivaled
Players in the four-team AU league will play 24 games of 5-on-5 hoops in Nashville starting Wednesday night over the next month at Municipal Auditorium. Unrivaled is 3-on-3 competition with six teams playing 44 regular-season games in Miami.
Three-time Olympian Kia Nurse chose AU as the better option to help her prepare for the upcoming WNBA season with its full-sized court. The tighter season also fit better into her schedule as a broadcast analyst for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.
“This was the perfect opportunity, and it was a perfect time,” Nurse said. “It’s only a five-week season, so I don’t miss a ton of the Raptors games. And so my bosses were like, ‘Sure! Go do what you need to do.’ And I’m like, ‘Great!’ This is perfect for me.”
How many players are in each league?
Athletes Unlimited has 40 roster spots. Unrivaled has 36. That means nearly twice as many players can stay in the United States if they choose rather than go overseas to play ball.
“It’s growing the game,” Nurse said. “So at the end of the day if you’re turning on the TV you’re watching a women’s basketball game, whether it’s 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 we’re growing the game and that’s important as well.”
Other WNBA players on AU rosters include Maddy Siegrist, Kiersten Bell, Sydney Colson, Alissa Pili and Lexie Brown, who has been with AU Pro Basketball from the start in Las Vegas in 2022. Players earn points both for team wins and individual performances with a big scoreboard along one side of the court keeping track. Teams change weekly with the top four players serving as captains and drafting rosters for hands’ on management and coaching experience.
The player with the most points at the end of the season is the individual champ. Previous winners were Tianna Hawkins, NaLyssa Smith and Allisha Gray.
What are player salaries in the two leagues?
Megan Perry, AU’s director of basketball, wouldn’t discuss salaries except to say their contracts are competitive and vary to ensure the league attracts top talent. Unrivaled has the highest average salary for players of any professional women’s sports league with many earning six-figure salaries for the eight-week season with an average salary of more than $220,000 — close to the WNBA’s maximum base salary.
The leagues will be in a battle for viewers on Fridays and Saturdays, when broadcasts of games in each overlap. AU’s games (on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) will be on ESPN+ along with the WNBA app and FanDuel Sports Network. During one week of the AU season games will be played on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; during the final week the schedule will be Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Unrivaled games are broadcast Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays on TNT and Tru TV.
For Theresa Plaisance, who won a WNBA title in 2022 with the Las Vegas Aces, her third season with Athletes Unlimited fits perfectly into the sports calendar.
“We love non-breakage in women’s sports, so the fact that we do have this now and then you fall right into the March Madness and then you go straight to the (WNBA) draft and then here comes training camp … I personally love this,” Plaisance said. “I think that it worked out perfect.”
Players with Volunteer State roots
Some of players in AU have Tennessee ties. Isabelle Harrison is a Nashville native playing with her sister, Dorie. They have 10 siblings, so plenty of family and friends should be buying tickets. Harrison is one of three Lady Vols playing including Jordan Horston who was a WNBA All-Rookie team member in 2023 with Seattle, and Meighan Simmons.
Athletes Unlimited wanted to be in Nashville because of Tennessee’s rich tradition of women’s basketball. The league announced last fall its decision to play this season in the Music City. Last week, officials announced a bid to bring a WNBA expansion franchise to Nashville. How well fans turn out for this women’s pro league certainly will be noticed by WNBA officials assessing bids for teams.
Players from Tennessee believe fans will turn out. Clark has seen it herself with people traveling all around Tennessee to watch good women’s basketball.
Clark said: “That’s the legacy that’s here.”
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
