Alyssa Thomas announced she will join Project B in 2026 this week, making the Phoenix Mercury star the second to sign on to the new professional women's basketball. And while much of Project B is still shrouded in mystery, the league has pledged it has no plans to interfere with the WNBA's schedule (yet) — but it seems the proposed timetable could cause a lot of problems for Unrivaled.
Thomas joins Nneka Ogwumike as the only other confirmed WNBA athlete signed to Project B (the league has hinted that there are several more who have signed contracts or who are strongly considering doing so). Unlike Thomas, Ogwumike has never played in Unrivaled.
Thomas' decision to opt into Project B likely came after a lot of debate. The new league has promised players 7-figure contracts and equity stakes, a combination that no other professional women's basketball league has yet to match. Thomas will play her second season in Unrivaled in early 2026, and could even use the experience as an opportunity to speak to more players about Project B.
While it's always a good thing for players and fans that there are multiple professional leagues, it's reasonable to wonder what kind of impact Project B could have on Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited. Project B is set to be played from November to April, which gets players back home in time for the WNBA, but means they miss out on Unrivaled (January-March) and Athletes Unlimited (February-March) entirely. There will likely be more players who opt in to Project B over the other two leagues.
However, there's a second group of players who may thrive with Project B in the mix: the extremely talented athletes who were cut from WNBA rosters due to cap space or other reasons. More players joining Project B may give this second group of athletes the opportunity to play at home in the US instead of overseas, which could in turn put them on the radar of WNBA teams who might have otherwise overlooked them during the offseason.
What is Project B?
So far, we know that Project B will be played as 5x5 basketball and boast rosters of 11 players. It's unclear if all the players will be from the WNBA or if some will be from Europe, and games will be played in Europe and Asia. Backers for the league include Candace Parker, Steve Young, Novak Djokovic, and Sloane Stephens, LeBron James reportedly has an advisory role in the league.
There have been rumors that the league is receiving funding from Saudi Arabian sources, but Project B has denied the allegations.