Nneka Ogwumike is no stranger to turning heads for her basketball moves, but her latest decision is sending shockwaves through the WNBA and women's basketball community. The Seattle Storm star became the first known player to sign a contract with Project B amid the ongoing turmoil surrounding the W's CBA (collective bargaining agreement) negotiations.

Ogwumike is directly involved with the talks between the league's players and leadership as the president of the WNBPA, but her new deal doesn't signal that she has any intention of leaving the WNBA any time soon, whether there's a lockout for the 2026 campaign or not. Project B's inaugural season is set to tip off in November 2026 and run until April 2027, avoiding the W's season entirely.

However, the struggle to settle on a new CBA with the WNBA may have played a role in Ogwumike's decision to find equitable pay elsewhere. The 35-year-old hasn't revealed the value of her contract, but she is confirmed to be getting more than her W salary and an equity stake in Project B as part of her deal. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ogwumike confirmed that the compensation package was a main reason she chose to sign.

“It's not something that's usually offered to us, and by ‘us,' I mean women's athletes,” Ogwumike explained. “So for there to be an entry level of equity across the board was eye-catching. It's something that I stand for, obviously.”

The former WNBA MVP used to play year-round regularly, spending the W's offseasons overseas in countries like Poland and Russia until 2019, and she chose not to return after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world. Now, Ogwumike is back to taking the chance to supplement her income outside of the US-based league.

“There's so many different opportunities for players outside of [the WNBA], and that's always been the case,” Ogwumike said. “This is just another one of those opportunities, and I know that a lot of players are doing what they can to ensure that they can maximize on the short time that they have in their playing careers. This is my chance to be able to do that.”

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Project B's Chief Basketball Officer Alana Beard explained what the league's goals are and the structure the organization is aiming for, unveiling a traveling circuit model that mimics golf, tennis, and Formula 1 racing.

“We want premier cities, and our goal is to create an F1-style TV event,” Beard detailed. “There's a tournament in each city, and at the end of each tournament, there is going to be a champion, and that all leads up to us potentially crowning the champion of the world.”

Beard revealed that other top WNBA talents have signed on to participate in Project B, but she did not unveil any names. She also hinted that a men's league counterpart was being discussed but has not yet been confirmed.

The upstart league, which was started by Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, boasts an impressive investor base that includes the likes of athletes like Sloane Stevens, Novak Djokovic, and even former WNBA superstar Candace Parker. Parker explained to AP why she decided to buy into the hype surrounding Project B's potential to shift women's sports.

“Basketball has never been just a game — it's culture, community, and connection,”  Parker said. “But for too long, players have carried the game without a real stake in its future, and women especially have been asked to wait for change. Project B isn't waiting. They're building the future in a global league where athletes have equity, shape the direction of the sport, and bring fans everywhere into the movement.”