WNBA champion and current Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike has become the first known player to sign with Project B, a new global women’s basketball league that is getting ready to launch in the fall of 2026.
“A new chapter built on purpose, partnership, and possibility. Proud to join @projectb_global not just as a player, but as a partner and owner, to help shape the future of global sport,” the 10-time WNBA All-Star, 2016 WNBA MVP, and 2016 WNBA champion wrote on Instagram.
The report has surprised many in the league, including women basketball lovers. And it has since emerged that Project B has already signed other active WNBA stars. Project B is a 5-on-5 league that will feature six, 11-player teams and will take place during the WNBA offseason.
The new league has arrived at a time when WNBA players and the league office are negotiating about a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which is expected to pay players better salaries than they are receiving now.
Analysts have said that one of the ways that Project B could compete with the WNBA is by giving salaries that are greater than the WNBA’s. A recent report by Front Office Sports stated that the new league is doing just that.
“Multiple stars are being offered seven-figure salaries starting at $2 million annually, with their earnings for multiyear deals reaching eight figures. In addition, players will receive equity in the league, similar to Unrivaled [new league],” the report by Front Office Sports said.
Project B is founded by former Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype cofounder Geoff Prentice. They collaborated with Sela, an entertainment company owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, to introduce the league.
Experts say that its promise of multi million-dollar salaries puts pressure on the WNBA amid the CBA negotiations. Also, Ogwumike, who is the face of the WNBA players in terms of negotiating the new CBA, is the first person to make it public that she had joined Project B, putting extra pressure on the WNBA.
Project B is not a direct threat to the WNBA at the moment but the situation could change any time. This depends on which superstar decides to join the new league and if its salaries would be bigger than what players receive from the WNBA, analysts said.
