Women sports stars like Candace Parker and Sloane Stephens are joining a new basketball league that grants players equity.
The WNBA legend and U.S. Open title-holder are the latest investors in the upcoming professional basketball league currently called “Project B.” According to Front Office Sports, Project B hopes to debut games in Fall 2026. Expected tournaments will take place in international hotspots across Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Its investment group is currently led by Geoffrey Prentice, co-founder of Skype, and Grady Burnett, a former Facebook executive. The league will boast five-on-five men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, while helping players score a bigger bag.
“We’re paying multiples higher than is available right now in the world of women’s sports,” Burnett told FOS. “We are paying the highest salaries and equity packages in women’s team sports, and this will be some of the best players in the world. We want this to be incredible basketball.”
However, Parker and Stephens are not the only sports giants pooling their resources into the effort. Another tennis star, Novak Djokovic, as well as former WNBA player Alana Beard and ex-NFL quarterback Steve Young, have also joined the investor roster.
Beard also shares a brief insight into how Project B players can capitalize on this opportunity by generating this marketing value.
“The players are our partners; they’re one of our most significant stakeholders. They are creating value, and getting paid for that value,” explained Beard.
The venture hopes to follow the footsteps of another alternative basketball league, Unrivaled, which focuses on three-on-three matchups between female players. The league offers an extra earning opportunity for players during the WNBA and collegiate off-season, allowing them to supplement their incomes while building their brands beyond the Women’s National Basketball Association.
The league initially planned to raise $5 billion to change how spectators and players engage with the sport. However, partners have yet to release exact numbers on raised capital.
Once dubbed the “Maverick Carter league,” the development has since gone on without LeBron James’ business partner. Despite this, Beard emphasized how they still intend to create “elite basketball” on a global stage.
The Women’s Hall of Famer added, “This is not a gimmick. We’re playing five-on-five, we’re playing elite basketball. We want the best of the best playing in our league. That’s a full stop.”
As they secure more funding, additional partners include Quiet Capital, Mangrove Capital, and Sequence Equity.
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