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Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham are the latest WNBA players to sign on with women’s basketball startup league Project B, which begins play 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 Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury Forward Alyssa Thomas. As with Ogwumike and Thomas, the Fever stars will also have ownership in the league.”Project B represents the next evolution of women’s basketball,” Mitchell said in a statement on Monday. “I’m honored to be part of this global movement and excited to compete on a stage built for the future of the game.”
Cunningham echoed her Fever teammate’s thoughts, saying she was “excited to join Project B’s athlete roster as they launch a new chapter in women’s basketball.” The WNBA star, who has previously been critical of the WNBA, heaped praise on the startup organization as it pushes to grow basketball globally. “Our game is exploding in popularity, and I’m all in on carrying that momentum forward in any way I can, both at home in the US and beyond,” she said.
Mitchell and Cunningham are the eighth and ninth announced players 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 WNBA ties 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 slated to run from November 2026 to April 2027, will be made up of six teams of 11 players and played on a traveling circuit, similar to other sports like tennis and golf. The new league has emphasized player compensation, a point of contention in the WNBA’s ongoing CBA negotiations, reportedly promising to pay players salaries that start at $2 million annually.
WOMEN’S SPORTS: The latest news and insider insights from USA TODAY Studio IX.
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