Indiana Fever stars Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham remain committed to upstart women’s basketball league Project B despite some earlier mixed messages about how the WNBA’s new CBA might affect their desire to play overseas.
Mitchell told reporters last week that it would take a “drastic, unique situation” to play overseas after the new CBA increased player salaries from a maximum of around $250,000 to $1.4 million.
However, she told Front Office Sports on Saturday that the nature of Project B — a touring league with seven two-week long tournaments across Europe, Asia, and Latin America from November 2026 to April 2027 — provides her with the flexibility to return to the United States in between the 5-on-5 league’s tournaments.
“There’s a big difference, and I think people recognize what that difference is,” said Mitchell, a 2025 All-WNBA First-Team selection. “Project B gives you a chance to do both, go in and come out, whereas (with) overseas basketball you’ve gotta be over there, eight months or seven months, just to get everything you want.”
Mitchell, 30, is entering her ninth WNBA season. She is a three-time All-Star and averaged a career-high 20.2 points last season and finished fifth in the MVP balloting.
Her Fever teammate Cunningham is also still committed to playing for Project B, which she said she initially signed with out of a desire for “security” when it was unclear whether a 2026 WNBA season would happen amidst the ongoing CBA talks.
Project B will reportedly pay out seven-figure salaries starting at $2 million and offer players equity in the league.
“When they’re offering that type of money, plus the signing bonus, plus having equity in the company, it’s a no-brainer. I have financially smart people around me, and they’re like, ‘You got to do it. Your body’s got to suck it up,'” said Cunningham, who will also be a WNBA analyst for USA Network this coming season while continuing to co-host the “Show Me Something” podcast with reality TV star West Wilson.
Cunningham, 29, spent her first six WNBA seasons with the Phoenix Mercury before being obtained by Indiana before last season.
The 6-foot-1 Cunningham averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 30 games (13 starts) in 2025 before she sustained a season-ending MCL tear in her right knee. She has averages of 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 212 career games (105 starts), with 305 career 3-pointers and 154 steals.
“When companies pour into us, they really see our value,” Cunningham said. “That’s not just on the basketball court — that’s just in life as a businesswoman.”
Both players signed one-year deals with the Fever, with Mitchell making $1.4 million on a supermax deal and Cunningham earning $655,000 for the season.
Mitchell and Cunningham are among 13 players who were announced as participants for Project B, which will play in various countries. Play is expected to begin in November, with the last stop slated to be Tokyo from March 26-April 4, per FOS.
–Field Level Media
Comments