While Caitlin Clark’s big “no” has been stealing the spotlight, Project B has been quietly stacking its lineup, landing not just a WNBA champ, but also a player who’s conquered the Spanish League, NBL1, and FIBA.

The women’s basketball circle is heavily discussing Project B, and one of Sabrina Ionescu’s teammates is all set to be a part. After the entry of renowned WNBA stars, including Sophie Cunningham and Jonquel Jones, among others, the innovative league has now added New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich.

“I’m super excited to be part of something big and global like Project B — a platform that allows us to bring elite basketball to communities and fans all over the world,” Fiebich said, as reported through PROJECT B’s official Instagram post.

Fiebich’s move follows Caitlin Clark’s refusal to join Project B, which gained extra attention after Sophie Cunningham dropped a revealing tidbit on her Show Me Something podcast.

On the December 4 episode of her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham revealed that she had tried to recruit Clark to Project B.

“I tried to get [Clark] to play in this [league], and she was like, ‘No!’” the Fever star said.

Now, Project B is a brand-new global professional women’s basketball league scheduled to launch in November 2026, with its first season running through April 2027. The league is set to feature a traditional 5-on-5 format, packing six teams, each with 11 players, competing in a series of seven two-week tournaments held across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The first player to publicly sign for the innovative league was Nneka Ogwumike. The list has kept growing ever since as other players, including Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Mitchell, Justė Jocytė, Kamilla Cardoso, Janelle Salaün, Jewell Loyd, and Jonquel Jones, also committed.

Players are being offered contracts starting at $2 million annually, with multi-year deals that can reach eight figures, plus equity stakes similar to what Unrivaled provides. However, with Clark’s popularity and off-court earnings, she doesn’t really need to rely on leagues like Unrivaled and Project B. That’s the point American broadcaster Robin Lundberg highlighted in his latest YouTube breakdown.

 “Caitlin doesn’t have the need, the financial need to play in any other leagues. She’s making so much money off the court in endorsements.” Lundberg explained. Notably, Clark was the only basketball player included in Sportico’s highest-paid female athletes 2025, after bagging an estimated total of $16.1 million.

Coming back to Fiebich, her decision comes after she played through a fractured rib in Liberty’s Game 3 loss. That alone tells you the kind of impact she will bring to Project B.

On April 17, 2020, the Los Angeles Sparks selected Leonie Fiebich with the 22nd overall pick in the WNBA draft. In May 2021, her rights were traded to the Chicago Sky, and by February 2023, she was acquired by the New York Liberty as part of a four-team trade.

In February 2024, Fiebich signed a rookie-scale contract with the Liberty. She was named to the Liberty’s starting lineup for the 2024 WNBA playoffs and made an immediate impact, setting a franchise record by scoring 21 points in her playoff debut.

Over the course of the season, she earned a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team. Fiebich also played a crucial role in helping the Liberty bag their first-ever WNBA championship, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds in the 67–62 overtime victory in Game 5 against the Minnesota Lynx.

With such high-profile players joining Project B, even if Caitlin Clark won’t, it’s clear that the offseason league is here to stay. Also, if Cunningham’s words are any indication of a pattern, it might become a threat to the WNBA in the long term.

Sophie Cunningham hints at WNBA departure

Sophie Cunningham recently spelled out the appeal of Project B.

“This [league] offers a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money. And that’s why people are, like, moving towards this.” But then she added the part that matters most: “Here’s the thing: All these leagues are great. But if you don’t have the W[NBA], you don’t have the platform. So you don’t have the eyes, you don’t have the recognition,” Cunningham said.

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However, with the WNBA’s recent proposal, a concern might pop up for signed players.

Project B is planning to run from November through April, while the WNBA recently floated a new schedule that could have training camp starting as early as March and stretch the season into November (this year’s season wrapped up on October 10 with the Finals). That leaves little downtime for Cunningham, or any player signed to Project B, between the two leagues, and hardly any room for off-court experiences.

Still and all, Cunningham’s words suggest that she might end up choosing Project B if things go well there.

Cunningham said she’s “excited” about the league “because I actually miss traveling the world.” And well, she’s no stranger to international hoops, having spent seven months playing in France and also competing in Australia.

“You just get cultured, it’s fun,” she added. “And I’ve missed it, but I also don’t want to play around. My body can’t handle it. I have other things I want to do that I’m interested in, and so this just gives me the perfect opportunity to go play, get cultured, see the world, but also be able to come home and still experience what I want to experience.”

The same might be the case for other signed players. After all, who wants to leave a seven-figure salary?