Westbrook takes a front-office title
Russell Westbrook signed up for a second career earlier today. The nine-time All-Star joined Project B as a co-founder and chief strategy officer, a role the upstart women’s basketball league announced Wednesday.
He is the biggest name yet on an executive team that has been assembling one piece at a time. Project B plans to tip off in early 2027 with six franchises, 11-player rosters and a five-on-five format. Westbrook takes an equity stake and a seat on the board of directors, according to The Athletic.
“At every step of my career, what was most valuable to me was making sure everyone had a seat at the table,” Westbrook said in a statement. “With Project B, we’re challenging the norm and bringing a new vision to the intersection of premium sport, culture, and entertainment. We’re reimagining the experience with players not only as key value drivers, but also as shareholders and decision makers.”
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A resume that opens doors
Westbrook, 37, called time on an 18-year NBA career this summer. He suited up for seven franchises, won the MVP award in 2016-17, took two scoring titles and made nine All-Star teams. His 209 triple-doubles are the most in league history, and nobody currently playing is within shouting distance of that number.
The player-as-shareholder pitch is not new language in women’s basketball. It lands differently coming from someone who spent nearly two decades on the labour side of that arrangement and watched the collective bargaining fights from inside a locker room.
The roster is already taking shape
Project B has signed Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham. Six players with All-Star and championship pedigree, committed to a league that has not yet played a game. That is the part rival competitions will study closely.
The schedule is meant to run through Asia, Europe and South America rather than a single domestic market, and the organisers have said a men’s component is coming too. Whether the calendar can be squeezed around existing seasons is the question nobody has answered yet.
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