Fever star Caitlin Clark remained non-committal about her potential involvement in startup league Project B during a Zoom news conference for USA Basketball on Friday.
Clark, who is in Durham, North Carolina, for a USA Basketball camp, was asked if the new league, which has already signed multiple high-profile players like Nneka Ogwumike and Kelsey Mitchell, has reached out to her or if she plans to join when it starts play in 2027.
“I plan to play in the WNBA,” Clark said.
Clark then added that the addition of new leagues, including those like Unrivaled and Project B, are great for the visibility of women’s basketball as a whole.
“I think more than anything, it showcases what people think of women’s basketball,” Clark said. “All these different opportunities, all these difference (in) opportunities, all these different leagues, the platform that they want to give women’s basketball, where they think women’s basketball is going to continue to grow.”
Multiple of Clark’s teammates have already signed on to the league, which will start play in 2026. It will run from November to April during the offseason, with six 11-player teams competing in seven different two-week tournaments around Europe, Asia and Latin America. Salaries for Project B will start at $2 million per season, according to Front Office Sports.
Sophie Cunningham, who missed the final two months of the Fever season with an MCL tear, signed to Project B on Nov. 25
“Excited to join Project B’s athlete roster as they launch a new chapter in women’s basketball,” Cunningham said. “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.”
Cunningham later said on her podcast, “Show Me Something,” that she tried to recruit Clark to Project B.
“I tried to get her to play in this one,” Cunningham said Dec. 8. “And she said, ‘No.'”
The league announced Mitchell, an MVP finalist for the Fever this season, as a signee to the league Nov. 24.
Mitchell will be one of multiple players to make the switch from Unrivaled, a 3×3 league based in Miami that runs from January-March. She is playing in Unrivaled this offseason, along with fellow Fever teammates Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, Aari McDonald and Makayla Timpson.
“Project B represents the evolution of women’s basketball,” Mitchell said. “I’m honored to be part of this global movement and excited to compete on a stage built for the future of the game.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.