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The fledgling multi-continent basketball league Project B signed its first wave of international players Friday, announcing equity-laden deals with Brazil’s Kamilla Cardoso, France’s Janelle Salaun and China’s Li Meng.
The news, purposely released at 7am China-time Saturday due to Meng’s popularity, is a prelude to dozens of global signings. The 6-team, 66-player Formula One-styled women’s league is expected to launch in November 2026 with three tour stops in Asia, three in Europe and one in the Americas — with rosters likely to be filled with more than 50% foreign players.
With the WNBA and its players union still negotiating a CBA — and at an impasse over salary structure and revenue sharing — Project B is fast becoming a money-making alternative for players. Before Friday, the league (which will also have a men’s version) had already signed WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike of the Storm, Alyssa Thomas of the Mercury, Jonquel Jones of the Liberty and Jewell Loyd of the Aces. Their four undisclosed salaries, reportedly in the $2M range, also include an equity stake in the league.
“This can’t be a minor league — you get lost as a minor league,” said Grady Burnett, Project B’s co-founder and COO who has a background in sales and operations at Facebook and Google. “It has to be the best basketball. So for us, starting with excellence on the court, starting with high character and leadership is important. Nneka embodies that. Alyssa embodies that. Jonquel embodies that. Jewell embodies that.”
The deals for the Sky’s Cardoso, the Valkyries’ Salaun and the former Mystic Meng are similarly undisclosed but certainly include equity shares. In fact, their signings may resonate just as much as the previous four because they are global players joining a global league.
“We have investors from Europe and Asia and the U.S.,” Burnett said. “And so we feel we’ve got what we need to be successful. And now these players are signing because they see that opportunity, they know that they can be a part of it, they’re equity holders alongside us, which is really important because you look at the evolution of these sports franchises.”
The league’s inaugural season is scheduled to conclude in April 2027 so it purposely won’t conflict with the 2027 WNBA season that will begin that May. But Project B will certainly overlap with Unrivaled, which would preclude some marquee W players from joining — and another reason why Project B’s global signings will be imperative.
The S.F. CHRONICLE looks at the recent additions to Project B under the header, “Valkyries’ Janelle Salaun to join Project B, controversial startup league.”
