By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Dozens of the best professional women’s basketball players in the world have descended upon Dallas to showcase their skills and talents in season two of Athletes Unlimited.
AU, a player-driven league where they get to make all of the executive decisions, is in it’s second season and will feature 44 of the best professional women’s basketball players – the majority of which play for the WNBA – competing on four teams. The 30-game season is five-weeks long and will tip off on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Fair Park Coliseum and conclude on Sunday, March 25.
Individual athletes earn points on every play and the leaderboard will change constantly. In addition, teams change each week, with the top four athletes in the standings serving as captains and drafting their teams. At the end of the five-week season, the player with the most points is crowned as individual champion.
The teams play three games per week, most available on WNBA League Pass. CBS Sports Network will air five of the 30 games live, while the remainder of the games can be viewed via the Athletes Unlimited YouTube page. Select games will be simulcast by the Women’s Sports Network and Bally Sports regional sports networks.
Captains for Week 1 are DiJonai Carrington, Natasha Cloud, Odyssey Sims and Courtney Williams.
In AU play, there are no head coaches, but the athletes will still be assisted by some heavy hitters as facilitators. Pokey Chatman and Danielle Viglione are returning for their second year with the league. Carlos Knox, Zak Buncik, and Seimone Augustus will be first-time facilitators for Season 2.
WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes will provide color analysis, Cindy Brunson will handle play-by-play, while Mariluz Cook will also join the broadcast team for in-action fan and player engagement. WNBA League Pass will offer subscribers live and archived coverage of 25 games. CBS Sports Network will present five games, while select games will be simulcast by the Women’s Sports Network and Bally Sports regional sports networks.
Athletes Unlimited is a new model of pro sports where athletes are decision-makers and individual players are champions of team sports. Athletes Unlimited features faster play and new team rosters every week. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at auprosports.com. Below is the tentative broadcast schedule, subject to change, for Season 2 of AU.
2023 ATHLETES UNLIMITED BASKETBALL BROADCAST SCHEDULE
