Janelle Salaün became the first Golden State Valkyries player to join Project B this week, the latest in a string of WNBA players announced as members for the controversial women’s basketball league set to debut next year.
Advertisement
Former Stanford star and WNBA Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike was the first WNBA player to sign with the league on Nov. 5, before fellow WNBA players Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones and Jewell Loyd also announced their involvement.
Players who join Project B also get equity in the startup league, which has promised higher salaries than either the WNBA or Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league started by WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
Front Office Sports reported that player deals in the women’s league will reach seven figures, starting at $2 million annually.
The women’s basketball league will include six teams, with 11 players per roster, and will play a traditional 5-on-5 format. Project B plans to host seven two-week tournaments in locations across Europe, Asia and Latin America and to have men’s and women’s leagues. The chief basketball officer is Alana Beard, who previously was part of the charge to bring a WNBA team to Oakland.
Advertisement
The plan is for the first women’s season to begin play in November and conclude in April 2027, and not compete with the WNBA schedule, but it will certainly change where players will spend their offseason.
Salaün, who was named to the WNBA All–Rookie team in 2025, is playing for USK Praha in the Czech Republic this offseason with Valkyries teammate Kaitlyn Chen. She, like many international WNBA players, spends significant time playing overseas. Salaün played for Famila Schio last offseason and won the Italian league Finals MVP before changing leagues this year.
Playing in Project B would likely prevent Salaün and other players from participating with other international clubs during the touring season. With high salaries in Project B, many of the top players who would otherwise have played in the EuroLeague could make up a star-studded offseason league that Salaün would compete in.
Salaün averaged 11.3 points per game and shot 40.6% from the floor in her first WNBA season as a regular starter for the Valkyries. She shot 50% in their short-lived postseason run, and the 24-year-old is considered one of Golden State’s building blocks for the future. She is a reserved free agent, which means as long as the Valkyries tender a minimum league-salary offer by a yet-to-be-determined deadline, they will retain her rights for next season.
Advertisement
Project B has drawn criticism for its willingness to work with the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The league is in a partnership with Sela, an entertainment company owned by the PIF.
Beard told the Good Game with Sarah Spain podcast on Nov. 17: “Sela is a global operating partner that PIF owns. We’re paying them as a service to logistically produce our events, and they have.”
Former Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice founded the startup Project B. Former WNBA MVP Candace Parker, Hall of Fame 49ers quarterback Steve Young and tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Sloane Stephens have invested in the league. Venture capital firms such as Mangrove Capital, Quiet Capital and Sequence Equity have also invested.
The league’s funding “does not include any dollars from Saudi Arabia,” Burnett told Front Office Sports. But the history of Sela Sports’ involvement in professional sports suggests that it can change.
Advertisement
The PIF backed LIV Golf and was open about that backing before merging with the PGA, but another sports entity owned by the PIF, Newcastle United, has had less transparency. At the time of the purchase, the Premier League approved it on the basis that “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not control the fund.”
But in 2024, reports emerged that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman had personal control over the entire process.
It is not expected that players will have to choose between playing in Project B and the WNBA, since the leagues do not overlap, but the WNBA has not commented on eligibility for players who have signed with the new league. The WNBA and WNBPA are in the midst of collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which could determine the league’s prioritization policy going forward.
A text to Salaün’s agent, Omar Bendjador, went unanswered at the time of publication.
This article originally published at Valkyries’ Janelle Salaun to join Project B, controversial startup league.
