The WNBA and Athletes Unlimited are joining forces to bring more women's basketball to fans
- The WNBA and Athletes Unlimited are teaming up to bring more women's basketball to fans.
- The league's streaming service — WNBA League Pass — will show 25 of 30 AU games this season.
More pro women's basketball games are hitting screens across the country.
The WNBA and Athletes Unlimited are teaming up to bring the second season of AU basketball to WNBA League Pass. The league's live game streaming platform — also home to archived WNBA content — will provide 25 of Athletes Unlimited's 30 games to subscribers at no additional charge.
"WNBA League Pass is the destination for women's professional basketball and Athletes Unlimited is just the latest addition to our programming lineup," WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in a release. "We are committed to expanding our direct to consumer offering with year-round content, bringing our fans closer to the game they love."
Athletes Unlimited, which complements the WNBA by keeping stars stateside during the off-season, is set to host its second campaign beginning February 23 in Dallas. Seventeen players with significant WNBA experience, including 14 rostered during the 2022 season, will suit up for the five-week season.
"With a number of WNBA players set to star in AU's upcoming season, and with an additional group of talented, young players on AU rosters looking to make their mark, WNBA League Pass provides a terrific platform to further showcase these players and women's basketball and a great leadup to the upcoming 2023 WNBA season," Edison added.
The innovative league, which boasts a unique athlete-centered model, offers a markedly different basketball product than the more traditional approach to basketball the WNBA has taken for 26 seasons and counting. In each Athletes Unlimited league — there are currently four, including softball, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball — players earn points based on both team wins and individual performance.
"We are thrilled to partner with the WNBA to bring Athletes Unlimited's exciting brand of basketball to the most passionate fans of the sport, WNBA League Pass subscribers," Athletes Unlimited Senior Vice President Cheri Kempf said in a release. "Fans will enjoy seeing world-class athletes competing as individuals with our unique scoring system and fast-paced season."
The player leaderboard changes in real-time, and at the end of each week, the top four point earners become the captains of reshuffled squads for the following week's games. Basketball, where individual stat lines drive much of the discourse, pairs well with AU's approach to quantifying both individual and team contributions.
With play wrapping up in the final week of March, Athletes Unlimited basketball serves as an ideal lead-in to the WNBA's 27 season, which unofficially begins with the 2023 WNBA Draft on April 10 and officially tips off just over a month later.
"I went straight from college straight to the WNBA, then it would've been straight to overseas," NaLyssa Smith, who is embarking on her sophomore season in the WNBA, previously told Insider. "So I knew, like, as soon as the WNBA ended, I was gonna do AU because it gives you some time to prepare."
"Then you go play AU, and you still get to compete at a high level," she added. "It's not you taking time off — you're still going to compete, and you get to play with different people... I feel like this is gonna help me grow a lot."
Fans already subscribed to WNBA League Pass have instant access to the majority of AU's upcoming games. Those not streaming on the platform will air on CBS Sports Network, with select simulcasts from the Women's Sports Network and Bally Sports.