Upshot Women’s Pro Hoops League Seeks To Make Impact: $40M, Basketball Royalty

By Barry Janoff

UPDATED May 15, 2026: Upshot League has added the national Scripps Sports Network FAST channel and local over-the-air television distribution, including in all four Upshot League markets (Greensboro, Savannah, Charlotte and Jacksonville)  to the official Upshot League YouTube Channel for coverage of its premiere season.

A 15-game national schedule will air on Scripps' new FAST channel platform.

Local coverage includes live home and away games, delayed broadcasts, and in-market television partnerships.

"The Upshot League is entering the national women's sports conversation with a bold media strategy that delivers unmatched accessibility, visibility, and reach,” said commissioner and co-founder Donna Orender via the league

"Fueled by global live streaming, national FAST channel exposure through Scripps Sports Network, and a powerful network of local broadcast partners, Upshot is not simply joining the women's sports movement, it is positioning itself as a major new platform built to elevate women's basketball on a national and global stage."

Official rosters for its four founding franchises, with 11 players per team, feature more than 40 athletes with WNBA, international and/or NCAA experience.


May 13, 2026: The WNBA is now in its 30th season.

Unrivaled 3x3, populated by WNBA players, recently finished its second campaign with significant funding and a bevy of marketing deals.

Project B has been signing top-level women players for a planned launch November 2026 with an international schedule.

Upshot League says there is room — and a need — for another women’s pro hoops organization.

Upshot women’s pro league is hitting the court this week with some basketball royalty.

It was co-founded in January 2025 by Donna Orender, former college and pro player. WNBA president (2005-10) and svp for the PGA, who is also commissioner of the four-team league; and Andy Kaufmann, CEO, Zawyer of Zawyer Sports.

The league said it has an initial $40 million in funding with backers and advisors including hoops icons Tamika Catchings, Cheryl Miller and Ann Meyers Drysdale.

PR is being handled by LeslieAnn Wade, former communications guru at CBS Sports.

The league said it is “built around a mission of creating additional professional opportunities for women’s basketball players while fostering meaningful and trusted connections with the communities the teams serve.”

"The Upshot League is committed to creating a professional platform where women athletes are valued, supported and connected to their communities in meaningful ways,” Orender said via the league.

“These women will be new heroes in new cities."

The premiere 40 regular-season game season is scheduled to begin May 15 and run into September with teams Charlotte Crown, Greenbsoro Groove, Jacksonville Wave (where the league is headquartered), and Savannah Steel. Games will air on the league’s YouTube channel.

Expansion plans for 2027 include Nashville and Baltimore.

According to the Upshot League’s Web site, “Welcome to the UPrising. A new kind of opportunity. A professional women’s basketball league where rising talent UPlifts entire communities. We build connection and a culture: where players shine, fans connect, and joy multiplies.

“We are here to inspire, unite, and grow together. To UP everyone’s shot.”

The league said its “curated group of athletes brings together standout talent from the WNBA, top collegiate programs, and leading international teams — establishing an immediate and unmistakable standard of excellence.

Upshot athletes will be compensated, although no information regarding salary has been shared.

The WNBA just signed a new CBA that includes a $7 million team salary cap, $1.4 million supermax salary, and 20% revenue-sharing model. Average salaries are rising to $583,000, and minimum salaries for veterans will exceed $300,000, according to industry analysts.

Unrivaled has been paying players upward of $260,000 for three months play, plus equity in the league.

Project B is offering WNBA stars salaries starting at approximately $2 million annually via deals that include equity in the league, according to industry analysts. 

“Beyond pay, our commitment is to build careers and community impact that last far beyond the court,” according to Upshot. “Athletes will train in world-class arenas, work with top coaches, and access resources to prepare for life after basketball — from leadership opportunities to community engagement programs.”

In January, Upshot League signed an alliance with Lucra social competition platform to provide “a turnkey solution to drive fan engagement and retention while creating new sponsorship and partnership opportunities through the rewards program.”

This month, Upshot signed deals with sporting goods manufacturer Molten for equipment and Shaquille O'Neal's Dunkman brand, which will supply league on-court uniforms ,shoes and gear.

“It’s about time women’s basketball is being recognized,” said O’Neal. via Upshot. “I’m a big fan — these players can really play.

“There are more great players than there are opportunities, and the Upshot League, which tips off on the 15th, is creating those opportunities.”

Said Orender via Upshot, “Partnerships like this with Dunkman help bring (our) vision to life in real ways on and off the court.”

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