Sophie Cunningham Conveys Why She's Joining Fever Star in New Project B League

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham has a clear reason for competing in the new Project B league alongside one of her WNBA teammates.

Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

There has been a lot of chatter surrounding Project B, which is a new global women's basketball league that's set to launch in the fall of 2026. The league is five-on-five, will feature six 11-player teams, and will take place during the WNBA offseason. Therefore, while it won't compete with the WNBA, it will compete against the Unrivaled three-on-three women's basketball league that includes many of women's basketball's top players.

But many elite WNBA stars have already agreed to play in Project B next year, including 10-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and 2023 WNBA scoring champion Jewell Loyd, to name a few.

On November 24, news broke that Indiana Fever star guard Kelsey Mitchell will also be playing in the league next season. When this announcement was made, Project B's social media channels posted a quote from Mitchell that read, "Project B represents the next evolution of women’s basketball. I’m honored to be part of this global movement and excited to compete on a stage built for the future of the game.”

Sep 28, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) in the second half during game four against the Las Vegas Aces of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Sophie Cunningham Addresses Reason for Joining Project B

It turns out that Mitchell isn't the only Indiana Fever standout to be playing in Project B next year. One day after Mitchell's announcement, it came out that Fever star Sophie Cunningham will also be competing in the league.

In an X post from the new league, Cunningham is quoted as saying, "Excited to join Project B’s athlete roster as they launch a new chapter in women’s basketball. Our game is exploding in popularity, and I’m all in on carrying that momentum forward in any way I can, both at home in the US and beyond."

She was then shown in an Instagram video saying, "I am so thrilled for [Project B], it is giving women's basketball a platform that is much deserving; not only here in the United States, but across the world. So come on this journey with us!"

In hindsight, perhaps fans should have seen Cunningham's participation in Project B coming. Not only is she not playing in Unrivaled this winter (although Kelsey Mitchell is, suggesting that this isn't a problem for either league yet, since Project B isn't playing games this winter), but Cunningham explained why she'd be open to joining the league during a November 14 interview with Front Office Sports.

"If people are going to be paying you multi-million dollar deals, why would you not?" she said when asked if Project B is a league she'd want to play for.

Given that Project B is reportedly offering some WNBA stars annual salaries of at least $2 million, it's hard to fault Cunningham for chasing that bag.