Exclusive: Azzi Fudd joins Project B, the international league chasing a billion-dollar opportunity in global basketball

For years, WNBA players played abroad during their off-season as a way to supplement their low salaries. The need to compete year-round was viewed as a downside in the sport, requiring players to spend their time in overseas markets and push their bodies, and limiting their ability to build strong personal brands and gain sponsorship opportunities in the U.S. year-round. Today, the calculation has changed. The latest example is Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 draft pick of 2026 and now a star on the Dallas Wings. She’s the latest player to join Project B, Fortune is the first to report. Project B is an international men’s and women’s basketball league being built by a former Facebook exec, the cofounder of Skype, and advised by LeBron James’ business partner Maverick Carter. In early 2025, Bloomberg reported that Project B was seeking to raise as much as $5 billion as it works to make basketball the top global sport—ahead of soccer. Cofounder Grady Burnett says that number was a “little high” and the league has completed its capital raise; he declined to confirm how much funding the league has raised. Project B hasn’t started play yet, but is planning to debut in January Formula 1-inspired “grand prix-style” basketball for men’s and women’s players in six cities, including Tokyo and Valencia, Spain. The model is that underutilized arenas will pay Project B to bring international stars to their cities, allowing the league to build an asset-light business. “It’s putting athletes on a global stage, connecting with fans in all parts of the world,” Burnett says. Like the domestic 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, which has also emerged as an off-season opportunity for women’s players, it offers players equity in the business. For Fudd, international play was appealing. As an elite college athlete, the 23-year-old has been busy training stateside for most of her life and is excited by the opportunity to