Lexie Brown, Ty Harris, and 5 other WNBA standouts from Athletes Unlimited opening week

No limit on athletes Professional basketball began gameplay this week in Nashville, Tennessee on February 5th.

The one-month female professional basketball league that began in 2022 is WNBA A player who stays in the US during the offseason, earns supplemental income, and grows as a player. Participating athletes earn a minimum of $20,000. This could increase to $50,000 with a bonus.

And this season, Kierstan Bell (Las Vegas Aces), Alysha Clark (Seattle Storm), Sydney Colson (Indiana Fever), Isabelle Harrison (Chicago Sky), and Elizabeth Will Many WNBA players will appear, including iams and Elizabeth Williams. Jordan Horston (Storm), Kia Nurse (Sky), Alyssa Piri (Minnesota Lynx), Maddie Sheegrist (Dallas Wings).

Los Angeles, guard guard for Lexi Brown, who chairs the league's player executive committee, told SB Nation in December that unlimited athletes changed the trajectory of her career.

“I felt lost as a professional. I really didn't know where my confidence went or where my role was in this league,” Brown said.

Currently, 40 women's basketball standouts have the opportunity to compete in the AU Pro every year.

How WNBA players fought in the first week of athletes

Athletes Unlimited maintains a running leaderboard that tallies each player's points. Players earn points for team success (such as a team earning a game or a quarter) or individual success (such as a scoring, assisting, rebound).

Additionally, players will earn points if fans or other players vote as one of the MVPs for a particular game. Conversely, they lose points on negative plays, such as missed shots, sales, fouls.

“We are weighted in a way that individual points and team points cannot decide to take over the game, shoot every shot, draw every point, and pull every point. There is a formula to confirm that it is. Brown told SB Nation.

Whose top is this? Leaderboard Up to a week of play:

1. Crystal Bradford: Crystal Bradford has not played in the WNBA since 2021, but after the first week of gameplay, she broke through the leaderboard with 1525 points. Bradford also plays for many overseas teams, including the Polish club. Azpoznan and Turkish clubs Besiktas JK. Bradford is one of the league's assist leaders in Week 1 and is currently the league's rebound and stealth leader.
2. Maddie Sieglist: Maddy Siegrist leads the AU in a week of MVP voting (120) after a week of play. Siegrist was fresh from his sophomore season on the Dallas wing, averaging 9.4 points on 50.5% shooting. She missed time with a hand injury, but before that she was in the mix for most improved players. So far, Siegrist has taken more two-point shots than any other player.

3. Kia nurse: Kia Nurse has been linked to the second MVP voting (90) since week 1. After spending last season with Los Angeles Sparks, the nurse signed with Chicago Sky last week. In her six-year WNBA career, the 6'0 guard averages 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists. The nurses are particularly effective at reaching the line, and she was also one of the top three-point shooters in the league throughout the first week of action.

4. Tiasha Harris: Ty Harris quickly went to Unlimited athletes from the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, but since then she hasn't missed the beat. Harris is fresh from his biggest season in the WNBA, recently reverting back to Dallas' wings from the Connecticut sun, where he spent the first three years of his WNBA career. Last season, she averaged 10.5 points per game, shooting 3-39.5%. In the first week of athlete Unlimited, Harris was the league's most efficient massive 3-point shooter.

5. Bria Hartley: Bria Hartley hasn't played in the WNBA since 2022, but the 10-year WNBA veteran stood out in the early days of athletes' unlimited play. Hartley, the No. 7 draft pick in 2014, holds a career average and 2.6 assists in the WNBA. Her career included stints at Washington Mystic, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun. At AU, she was one of the best distributors for the week.

Jade Hewitt / Athletes Unlimited

6. Elizabeth Williams: Elizabeth Williams served as Chicago Sky's starting center for each of the last two seasons when he was healthy. Due to her career, she averaged 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 287 games. However, the 31-year-old veteran missed most of last year after toreting his meniscus. So far, she has looked cool as an AU, especially a rim protector. She tallied more blocks than any other player.

7. Lexi Brown:Lexie Brown excels in the early days of unlimited athletes after missing a fair amount of time in each of the last two seasons dealing with illness. Brown, a 30-year-old guard drafted with the 8th pick in 2018, stood out in the AU's first few games.

Athletes Unlimited continues this week on Nashville, with all the games airing on ESPN+.