The Athletic reported on Thursday that a new, investor-backed global basketball venture known as Project B is positioning itself as a serious entrant in women’s pro basketball.
Founders and spokespeople say the plan begins with a women’s league headquartered in Singapore, built around seven two-week tournament events across Asia, Europe and the Americas and a schedule that would run roughly from November to April, when the WNBA has its offseason.
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Project B lists former WNBA players among its leadership (Alana Beard as chief basketball officer) and names like Candace Parker, Steve Young, Novak Djokovic and others as backers or advisers; the project has a reported strategic relationship with Sela, an entertainment company linked to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
WNBA reporter Ken Swift shared a post on Monday about how the league is expected to offer blockbuster dollar figures — up to $50 million contracts for headline players like Caitlin Clark.
“There’s no way they don’t try to build a league around Caitlin and they have the dollars to 100% make it happen,” Swift wrote on X. “They are so rich, profit means nothing. 50 mill for Caitlin and she’s in for sure.”
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Under the existing WNBA framework (the collective bargaining agreement that is set to expire Oct. 31), the salary cap for each team in the 2025 season was around $1.5 million, according to Spotrac.
Individual player maximums/top tiers are in the low-to-mid six figures (supermax figures around $249k; typical maximums roughly $214k–$249k, per Her Hoop Stats), while league average and minimum salaries remain far below the six-figure offers.
Those structural limits — and the players’ desire for a larger, revenue-linked share — are central to the current CBA fight.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.© Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images
Clark is more than just another star player competing in the WNBA; she is a global ratings and marketing phenomenon, with major endorsement deals and clear-cut data showing Clark’s arrival materially lifting attendance and TV audiences.
If Project B’s financial claims are real and the organization can deliver competitive pay with player equity, it would instantly alter bargaining leverage for top players and reshape the WNBA’s upcoming CBA talks — pushing owners and the league to either match offers, restructure revenue sharing or potentially risk losing star talent like Clark.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
