Athletes Unlimited has confirmed the 44-player roster for its inaugural basketball season, with Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Brown and Mercedes Russell among the final additions. The season is set to tip off Jan. 26 in Las Vegas.

Mitchell, the Indiana Fever’s leading scorer last season, earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft. Since then, she’s continued to elevate her game, finishing among the WNBA’s top-10 scorers each of the last two seasons. Before turning pro, the guard had a prolific career at Ohio State, graduating with the second-highest points (3,402) and most 3-pointers made (497) in NCAA history.

“I am honored and thrilled to be part of Athletes Unlimited’s inaugural basketball season,” Mitchell said. “AU offers women another opportunity to play professional basketball in the United States and will provide national television exposure that will help us grow the game we love to play.”

Brown and Russell join the league with a combined three WNBA titles in the last four years. Brown is a member of the 2021 WNBA champion Chicago Sky, while Russell won championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020. AU players Essence Carson, Natasha Cloud and Jantel Lavender have also won WNBA championships.

“Athletes Unlimited is another great stage to showcase professional women’s basketball here in the United States and I cannot wait to compete both with and against so many talented players on a weekly basis during our inaugural season in Las Vegas starting January 26,” Brown said.

Imani McGee-Stafford announced her inclusion on the roster over the weekend. The 27-year-old center played four seasons in the WNBA from 2016-19 before taking the last two years off to attend law school.

The 31 players added to the roster on Tuesday join 10 who were previously announced, notably Courtney Williams and WNBA veterans Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Carson.

Four players earned spots through the open tryouts in Atlanta in December. Becca Wann-Taylor will get an opportunity out of the University of Richmond, where she was a two-sport athlete in basketball and soccer. Joining her are Taj Cole, Briahanna Jackson and Takola Larry.

“We are very pleased with the diverse and dynamic Athletes Unlimited Basketball roster for our inaugural season,” said AU Director of Basketball Kristen Miles. “True to our intentions from the beginning, we are providing an additional opportunity for women to play professional basketball in the U.S., whether on a current roster or not. A whole new breed of women’s pro hoops is soon to be unleashed on Las Vegas, and these incredible athletes will surely make for a historic first season that can’t be missed.”

AU players Lavender and Tianna Hawkins will also serve on the player executive committee as the fourth and fifth members alongside Cloud, Sydney Colson and Ty Young.

The four-week basketball season runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 26.

Full roster

• Ciara Andrews, G
• Antoinette Bannister, G/F
• Kalani Brown, C
• Lexie Brown, G
• Kirby Burkholder, G
• Marjorie Butler, G
• DiJonai Carrington, G/F
• Essence Carson, G
• Brittany Carter, G/F
• Natasha Cloud, G
• Taj Cole, G
• Sydney Colson, G
• Drew Edelman, F
• Nikki Greene, C
• Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, F
• Rebecca Harris, G
• Isabelle Harrison, F
• Tianna Hawkins, F
• Ariel Hearn, G
• Grace Hunter, G
• Briahanna Jackson, G
• Meme Jackson, G/F
• Tyce Knox, G
• Jessica Kuster, F
• Takoia Larry, F
• Jantel Lavender, F
• Akela Maize, C
• Lauren Manis, F
• Danielle L. McCray, G/F
• Danielle M. McCray, F
• Imani McGee-Stafford
• Laurin Mincy, G
• Kelsey Mitchell, G
• Chelsea Phillips, F
• Toccara Ross, F
• Tina Roy, G
• Mercedes Russell, C
• Odyssey Sims, G
• Antoinette Thompson, G
• Destinee Walker, G
• Becca Wann-Tayor, G/F
• Courtney Williams, G
• Dominique Wilson, G
• Ty Young, G/F

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham became the latest WNBA player on the mic this week, as the outspoken athlete launched a new podcast on sports media personality Colin Cowherd's The Volume network.

Entitled "Show Me Something" in reference to the two hosts' Missouri roots, the podcast features the seven-year WNBA veteran as well as her former high school classmate and current Summer House reality star West Wilson.

"We're definitely going to hit on the WNBA, a huge topic in sports right now, and then Bravo, clearly, but pop culture, food, fashion, travel... we really do talk about anything," Cunningham said about the variety of topics she'll be discussing with her childhood friend on their podcast. "Our love language is, like, s—t-talking."

The media move follows several recent endorsement deals for Cunningham, as she continues to capitalize on the social media bump she experienced following a June 17th dust-up with Connecticut Sun players.

In this week's first episode, the 2025 Fever addition did not hold back, immediately digging into the ongoing discourse surrounding superstar teammate Caitlin Clark.

"There's really good, well-known people in our league. I'm not discrediting them," Cunningham said. "But when people try to argue that [Clark's] not the face of our league, or if our league would be where we're at without her, you’re dumb as s—t. You’re literally dumb as f—k."

USC women's basketball is stocking up, bringing on their third No. 1 high school prospect in four years with top-ranked Saniyah Hall committing to the Trojans on Friday.

Set to join the team for the 2026/27 season, Hall follows in the footsteps of 2023 top recruit JuJu Watkins and Class of 2025 No. 1 prospect Jazzy Davidson.

USC reportedly beat out both North Carolina and UCLA in the race to secure a commitment from Hall.

The Northeast Ohio product will close out her high school career at SPIRE Academy, returning to her home state following a junior-year campaign with Montverde Academy in Florida.

The 6-foot-2 guard, who turned 17 years old on Wednesday, has also seen significant international success, first helping Team USA earn gold in the 2024 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup.

Hall added a 5x5 gold medal to her collection earlier this month, when the then-16-year-old set records en route to securing Team USA the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup title.

Her US U19-record 19.9 points per game — plus team-leading averages of 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.9 steals across the competition's seven games — saw the starter named tournament MVP following the July 20th championship victory.

Shortly after returning Stateside, Hall visited USC, announcing her NCAA basketball commitment almost immediately after leaving campus.

"I would say it felt like home. I loved all of my teammates," Hall told ESPN's NBA Today on Friday. "The girls there are so fun to be around."

Embattled ex-Canada women's national team coach Bev Priestman has officially left the country, relocating to New Zealand to manage A-League Women's side Wellington Phoenix FC.

"We're really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football," Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said in the club's announcement. "We all know she's had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we're really comfortable with this appointment."

In addition to her firing from Team Canada, Priestman served a one-year suspension from all football-related activities, finishing that mandatory moratorium this month.

FIFA issued the suspension after determining that Priestman was guilty of spying on opponents via illegal drone use during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"For me, I didn't feel safe, that's being brutally honest," she told reporters this week, commenting on the drone scandal's local fallout. "It was very difficult for my family and I have to live with that. I have to wear that."

The Wellington Phoenix — the lone New Zealand club competing in the top-flight Australian league — finished the 2024/25 season ninth out of 12 teams, with the young club soon setting their sights on a deeper run in their fifth season behind Priestman.

"It feels like Christmas Day to me to come back," said Priestman, whose wife, Wellington Phoenix FC academy director Emma Humphries, is a former New Zealand national team player. "I know I have to earn the trust of everybody. And I'll be working hard to do that."

Retired three-time WNBA champ Candace Parker weighed in on the current state of the league this week, making waves on her newly launched podcast Post Moves alongside fellow host and current Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston.

With CBA negotiations in full swing, Parker called this year's All-Star Game a missed opportunity for the players, although 2025 All-Star Boston challenged that perspective.

"You all cannot come out there with those shirts of 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' and then do that in the All-Star Game," Parker said, referencing the midseason matchup's lack of competitive edge.

"An All-Star Game, when we have another game in two days, I think that it's okay to go out there, hoop, and have some fun," Boston countered.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Parker later sounded off on her recent viral moment ranking Chicago Sky star Angel Reese as "C tier" during a Complex Sports interview.

"Are you taking Angel above Paige [Bueckers]? Are you taking Angel above Arike [Ogunbowale], are you taking Angel above Sabrina [Ionescu] or Kelsey [Plum] or Caitlin [Clark] or A'ja [Wilson] or Napheesa [Collier] or Breanna [Stewart]?" Parker asked. "No. That does not make her a bad player."

"Do I think [Reese] could be up there? Yes.... Is she there now? No. And this is in no way, shape, or form hating," she said while calling out the need for objective criticism in the WNBA.

How to listen to Parker and Boston on "Post Moves"

Parker and Boston's new podcast Post Moves will drop a new episode across all major podcast platforms — including Spotify, Apple, and YouTube — every Wednesday.