Overall, the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited Basketball was a great success. We saw amazing talent from across women’s basketball compete in Las Vegas, giving us stellar performances. Starting in February 2023, Athletes Unlimited Basketball will be held in Dallas, Texas. Yet, one thing that won’t change is the players and their noteworthy social causes. That being said, the league announced 31 players that will be participating in Dallas, with some returning and new faces.
Returning players for Season Two of Athletes Unlimited Basketball
Photo Credit: Jade Hewitt Athletes Unlimited
In all, 21 players will be returning for the second season, including Sydney Colson, Lexie Brown, Natasha Cloud, and DiJonai Carrington. First, Colson finished 12th last season with 4,162 points while shooting 33.9 percent from three-point range. Colson played 18 games for WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in 2022. Next, Brown came in fourth place with 5,317 points while scoring 210 points, the 10th most amongst players last season.
The 2023 #AUHoops roster currently has 31 signed athletes with 21 of those players returners from the inaugural season. @AUProSports pic.twitter.com/iMhXgJuuO4
— Savanna Collins (@savannaecollins) October 25, 2022
Also, Cloud finished second in points with 5.919 in the first season. The Washington Mystics star made 34 three-pointers and scored 274 points last season. Lastly, Carrington finished seventh last season with 4,953 points, making 131 shots from the field.
It’s important to note that Colson, Brown, and Cloud are also on the Athletes Unlimited Player Executive Committee. Other notable returns are Taj Cole, Kelsey Mitchell, Laurin Mincy, Odyssey Sims, Courtney Williams, and Ty Young. Now that we’ve covered some of the returning stars, let’s look at some future playing this upcoming season.
New Stars for Athletes Unlimited Basketball
Along with some seasoned veterans, fans will see some familiar faces in 2023 that most WNBA fans will know. To begin, Aces guard Allisha Gray will join the league coming off winning a championship and an Olympic Gold medal. Gray won Gold as part of Team USA’s 3×3 squad in Tokyo. In addition, Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith will participate coming off a solid rookie season.
ICYMI: @NaLyssaSmith & @Kelz_Hoop will play in Dallas with #AUHoops 🔥#FeverUnlimited https://t.co/mSyeIfA3JC
— Indiana Fever ⛹️♀️🏀 (@IndianaFever) October 25, 2022
Smith won WNBA and AP All-Rookie Honors as she averaged 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds in all 32 games. She led all rookies in total rebounds with 253 boards.
We’ll also see other young WNBA stars like Naz Hillmon and Evina Westbrook hit the hardcourt in Dallas. Los Angeles Sparks guard Jordin Canada will be there as well. All things considered, season two of Athletes Unlimited Basketball should be just as exciting to watch as season one.
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