Athletes Unlimited has decided to pause its basketball league this winter, the organization announced Friday.
“We’re incredibly proud of the role that Athletes Unlimited has played in reshaping professional women’s basketball,” read a statement posted on the league’s social media sites. “By pioneering an athlete-centered model, we’ve help create new opportunities for players and demonstrated what’s possible when athletes are at the center of the game.”
Athletes Unlimited, which plays its games in the winter, has faced competition from Unrivaled and now Project B.
“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 the greatest long-term impact,” the statement continued.
Athletes Unlimited started in 2020 and has sanctioned lacrosse, softball and volleyball leagues in which there are no team owners and players share directly in league profits. The organization added basketball in 2022, marking Athletes Unlimited’s first sport that had an already well-established professional women’s domestic league, the WNBA.