Azzi Fudd chooses Project B over Unrivaled

Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft, has chosen to play her offseason basketball with Project B instead of Unrivaled, she confirmed Friday.

Fudd, selected by the Dallas Wings, is the most prominent player to sign with Project B, a global basketball startup that organizers plan to debut in December. It has tournament play planned in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The 23-year-old guard posted a video to her Instagram account on Friday showing her walking with various prominent locations around the world as her backdrop.

Project B is a 5-on-5 league. Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 league based in South Florida.

Unrivaled was founded by Fudd's fellow UConn alums, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, to give women an option to playing overseas in the WNBA offseason. It will begin its third season in January.

Project B was conceived in 2023 by tech executives Grady Burnett and Geoff Prentice. Alana Beard is the chief basketball officer with athletes Steve Young, Candace Parker, Sloane Stephens and Novak Djokovic among the investors and advisors.

"Basketball has always been global to me," Fudd said in a statement provided to The Athletic by Project B. "It's given me the opportunity to see the world, connect with people from different cultures and go places I never imagined. That's why I've always dreamed of playing abroad. Project B brings players and fans from everywhere together and (I) can't wait to get out there."

Beard told The Athletic that the signing of Fudd -- a 2026 All-American who won the 2025 national championship with the Huskies -- is significant.

"The fact that Azzi decided to join Project B was one of the most phenomenal experiences of this process," Beard said.

WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike, Kamilla Cardoso, Sophie Cunningham, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, Jonquel Jones and rookie Awa Fam already have signed on to Project B.

It was believed Fudd would join Unrivaled because she was part of the league's NIL initiative while a UConn student.

Plans call for Project B to bring in 66 players -- 11 teams of six players each -- who will play a total of seven two-week tournaments. Tokyo and Valencia, Spain, already are on board as two host cities.

--Field Level Media