Fans of women’s basketball haven’t been able to escape Project B recently. Project B is the latest professional women’s basketball league to pop up amid the sport’s unprecedented success. Unlike Unrivaled, Project B will feature five-on-five play in Europe and Asia between November and April. While a lot about the league is still a mystery—most notably where a lot of the league’s money comes from—Project B offers high salaries that make it difficult to say no for players, especially veterans who missed the NIL era in college and spent years playing for low salaries in the WNBA.
While Project B’s schedule technically shouldn’t compete with the WNBA, there are other problems. The high salaries may cause players to shift their priorities from the W to Project B. Since that is a possibility, it should worry the WNBA that Project B continues to sign some of the biggest veteran stars in the league.
The first player to publicly join Project B was Nneka Ogwumike. Alyssa Thomas joined her shortly after, which should mean that this season will be her final season playing in Unrivaled. Now, Jonquel Jones has joined the list. The New York Liberty star announced Monday on Instagram that she signed with Project B. Jones is the 2021 WNBA MVP and 2024 WNBA Finals MVP. Signing her is a huge get for Project B.
Other stars could soon join Project B as well
Project B already has three stars under contract, but fans should be prepared for many more announcements to follow. The money Project B is reportedly offering players makes it a tempting opportunity for players, whether they are WNBA stars or players still struggling to make it as professionals.
Project B’s Instagram following has some fans wondering if Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner could be among the players joining the new league.
While Project B has already signed some veteran stars, it hasn’t been connected to some of the brightest young stars in the game yet and most of them may not even be interested. Paige Bueckers seems committed to Unrivaled. Caitlin Clark is one of the few players who don’t have to play in the offseason to supplement their WNBA incomes. While Angel Reese played in Unrivaled this winter, she also falls into that category. Dominique Malonga gave up an opportunity to play with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce to sign with Unrivaled.
Project B comes with a different vibe than other offseason leagues
WNBA players have many options in the WNBA offseason. They can play overseas in Europe, Asia, or Australia, they can join Athletes Unlimited, or they can suit up for Unrivaled teams. All three of those options work well with the WNBA.
The WNBA and FIBA-run leagues have long had agreements to make players’ moves between the leagues possible and relatively easy. Unrivaled was founded by WNBA players for their peers, and Athletes Unlimited has also never conflicted with the WNBA or tried to. It benefits from the exposure players get in the W.
Project B is a new option given that it might very well try to compete with the WNBA and there is so much mystery around where its funding comes from and whether its main goals are to empower players or to simply benefit from the rising popularity around the sport.