Eighteen current WNBA players on Athletes Unlimited rosters this season
The WNBA and its players are once again a big part of the Athletes Unlimited basketball season.
Eighteen players in the 40-person league finished last season on a WNBA roster while 11 others, including two-time Olympic champion Angel McCoughtry, have experience in the league.
There has been a growth in the amount of WNBA players competing in the four-week league from its inception in 2022. Originally 34% had some WNBA ties with that number increasing to 72.5% this year.
With less options to play overseas because of the situation in Israel, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the WNBA's prioritization rule that requires players to be in training camp or not be able to play in the upcoming season, AU has become a more attractive option.
Most of the games in the league will be available to watch for free on the WNBA App. It's a second year of a collaboration between the two leagues.
“The WNBA is thrilled to collaborate with Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball for a second consecutive season, unlocking access to more women’s basketball for fans across the globe,” said WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison. “We are proud to have the WNBA App serve as the free, live streaming partner of AU Pro Basketball.”
Current WNBA players competing this season include: Laeticia Amihere (Atlanta Dream); Kierstan Bell (Las Vegas Aces); Kalani Brown (Dallas Wings); Lexie Brown (Los Angeles Sparks); Rae Burrell (Los Angeles Sparks); Natasha Cloud (Washington Mystics); Sydney Colson (Las Vegas Aces); Zia Cooke (Los Angeles Sparks); Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream); Isabelle Harrison (Chicago Sky); Ruthy Hebard (Chicago Sky); Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever); Haley Jones (Atlanta Dream); Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever); Tiffany Mitchell (Minnesota Lynx); Maddy Siegrist (Dallas Wings); Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings) and Evina Westbrook (Los Angeles Sparks).
“We are thrilled to build on our relationship with the WNBA and once again partner to bring Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball to the most passionate fans of the sport through the WNBA App,” said Cheri Kempf, Senior Vice President, Athletes Unlimited. “We are very glad that these games will be even more widely accessible this season, as fans will be treated to world-class talent competing to be crowned the individual champion of their sport.”
Athletes Unlimited started in 2020 and also has softball, volleyball and lacrosse leagues in which there are no team owners and players share directly in league profits. The basketball rules are similar to the WNBA and there will be over $1 million for the 40 players to earn with the winner receiving roughly $50,000.
The league redrafts its teams each week with the top four point scorers serving as captains. The league returns to Dallas for a second consecutive season and tips off on Feb. 29 and concludes on March 23.
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WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
