Athletes Unlimited Cancels 2027 Season Despite Women’s Hoops Surge

Amid the continued rise of women’s basketball, one league has decided to take a step back.

Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball announced Friday that it is pausing its 2027 season, five years after its inaugural season.

“Today, we’re sharing an update on Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball. As we continue to focus on the long-term growth of our leagues, we’ve made the decision to pause AU Pro Basketball during the 2027 season,” the announcement read.

Athletes Unlimited, founded by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros and in 2022 announced a $30 million funding round that included investments from Kevin Durant’s 35V, David Blitzer, and Angela Ruggiero, also has softball and volleyball leagues. However, the decision to pause its basketball league comes just months after the WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a new CBA that significantly increased player salaries. The minimum salary in the WNBA this season is $270,000, more than the maximum salary last year. 

AUPB’s statement cited the growth in women’s basketball factoring into its decision: “As women’s basketball enters an exciting new era of investment and expansion, we believe this is the right time to thoughtfully evaluate how Athletes Unlimited can make its greatest long-term impact.” 

A spokesperson for Athletes Unlimited confirmed to Front Office Sports that the door is not closed for the league to make a comeback in 2028 or beyond. 

The spokesperson added that there were no players under contract for the 2027 season. AUPB had communicated the news in advance of Friday’s announcement to a five-person player executive committee consisting of Lexie Brown, Sydney Colson, Theresa Plaisance, Isabelle Harrison, and Dorie Harrison.

Athletes Unlimited launched in 2020, with its women’s basketball league tipping-off for the first time in 2022. The league has held games in Las Vegas and Dallas, before playing its last two seasons in Nashville, Tennessee.

Standout WNBA players like Allisha Gray and Kelsey Mitchell have played in AUPB in past years, but its rosters have weakened over the last two years since the arrival of new women’s basketball leagues.

With AUPB pausing its 2027 season, dozens of women’s players are suddenly available for those other winter leagues to nab.

One of those leagues is Unrivaled, whose season runs from January to March, typically overlapping with AUPB. The domestic 3-on-3 league co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart has guaranteed six-figure salaries to all of its players since launch, which has helped it land many big names such as Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers over its first two seasons.

But there is little space remaining on the Unrivaled roster for the 2027 season as it sticks with eight teams and 48 total regular roster spots for the second consecutive season. The league has already filled up more than 90% of its regular roster spots after making multiple splashy offseason signings, including Olivia Miles and Gabby Williams. Unrivaled also has a six-player developmental pool that brings its total player count to 54.

Unrivaled is also expected to bring more games next season outside of its Miami headquarters after hitting the road earlier this year for games in Philadelphia and moving its semifinals to Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

There is another winter option in Project B, a global basketball league expected to launch in December that is offering some stars multimillion dollar deals.

Project B has already announced more than a dozen players, including Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, and Mitchell, who played at Unrivaled last year. But Project B is still far from filling the 66-player pool it originally envisioned.