2025 WNBA Off-Season

[Basingstoke]

This is just to amplify your point as I am not sure some people fully grasp the import of what you are saying.

Here is an interview with Alex Bazzell (Unrivaled president and Napheesa’s husband, a top basketball trainer (website)):

Women’s basketball revolutionized: How Unrivaled will change everything | SB Nation

Imagine someone else pays top players for WNBA offseason player development in the U.S. for two months overseen by some of the top player development professionals within a “one-roof” arrangement.

• And the players who join Unrivaled view the WNBA as their marquee job that they are preparing for — a job that currently doesn’t pay well;
• And the players who join Unrivaled benefit from “player narratives” (Turner Sports/ Unrivaled initiative) that make them more marketable (for endorsement income), which in turn garners women’s professional basketball more eyeballs in the WNBA’s offseason, which in turn the WNBA can benefit from.

It is thus bewildering that the WNBA/ NBA is hostile to any symbiotic rising tide that is not of their (pitiful) handiwork.

I believe that they're scared of the specter of the success of Unrivaled's business/compensation model. It's just something that they can't abide in the W.

 

[maccca3232]

There is a separate thread for Unrivaled but there is none for Athletes Unlimited (see Instagram here).

Quick update: Over half the roster spots (21 of the 40) have been announced (see website here). The list includes 19 who played in the WNBA this past season.

Note 1: There could be changes (e.g. Kaitlyn Chen subsequently signed overseas contract. Thread here).
Note 2: Players highlighted in red didn't play in WNBA past season.

Returning Players

1. Odyssey Sims
2. Jaylyn Sherrod
3. Theresa Plaisance
4. Kia Nurse
5. Isabelle Harrison
6. Sydney Colson
7. Alysha Clark
8. Lexie Brown

New Players (Last Offseason)

1. Natasha Mack (Turkey)
2. Brianna Turner (Australia)
3. Kiah Stokes (Turkey)
4. NaLyssa Smith (China)
5. Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State - Director of Player Development)
6. Te-Hina Paopao (College)
7. Aaliyah Nye (College)
8. Aneesah Morrow (College)
9. Deja Kelly (College)
10. Bree Hall (College)
11. Kaitlyn Chen (College)
12. Tina Charles (Turkey)
13. Ariel Atkins (Turkey)

 

[Basingstoke]

There is a separate thread for Unrivaled but there is none for Athletes Unlimited (see Instagram here).

Quick update: Over half the roster spots (21 of the 40) have been announced (see website here). The list includes 19 who played in the WNBA this past season.

Note 1: There could be changes (e.g. Kaitlyn Chen subsequently signed overseas contract. Thread here).
Note 2: Players highlighted in red didn't play in WNBA past season.

Returning Players

1. Odyssey Sims
2. Jaylyn Sherrod
3. Theresa Plaisance
4. Kia Nurse
5. Isabelle Harrison
6. Sydney Colson
7. Alysha Clark
8. Lexie Brown

New Players (Last Offseason)

1. Natasha Mack (Turkey)
2. Brianna Turner (Australia)
3. Kiah Stokes (Turkey)
4. NaLyssa Smith (China)
5. Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State - Director of Player Development)
6. Te-Hina Paopao (College)
7. Aaliyah Nye (College)
8. Aneesah Morrow (College)
9. Deja Kelly (College)
10. Bree Hall (College)
11. Kaitlyn Chen (College)
12. Tina Charles (Turkey)
13. Ariel Atkins (Turkey)

Speaking of Athletes Unlimited: does anyone know what us their salary range, number of games, length and dates of season and cities/venues.

 

[boontonbomber]

Who would be a good option for Seattle? It seems like a good job with good talent, good fan base, good ownership, good arena, good city.

Briann January. A great defensive player, and I expect the reason that Indiana played the kind of defense that kept them in most games. Though, I never heard much mention of that from White. Defense still wins the big games, and I think the present Seattle roster contains players who are already pretty good defenders individually( one, of course, whom we're quite familiar with). But team defense has got to be taught. Briann did play there one season.

 

[Dillon77]

All power to Coach Becky Hammon and the Las Vegas Aces players for going from .500 to a four-game sweep of the WNBA championship. Now, it's time to see what President Nikki Vargas and the Aces front office can do to bring back enough of the core players to make a try for four championships in five years. Of the Ace's 11 players, only rookie Aaliyah Nye and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus are set to return. The others:

• Restricted Free Agents: Kiersten Bell, NaLyssa Smith
• Unrestricted Free Agents: A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Kiah Stokes, Megan Gustafson, Dana Evans.

Now, a lot of teams are losing a number of players, but considering how important Wilson, Young, Gray and Loyd have been down the stretch, this will be really interesting. (And, Evans and Gustafson actually did enough right to get some regular minutes, which is saying something for Hammon.)

Stay tuned.