Following an unforgettable 2022 season in Las Vegas, the home of the eventual WNBA champion Aces, Athletes Unlimited is coming back for its sophomore campaign.
And those in charge of it are seeing stars – lone stars.
Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas – the metroplex that is home to the W’s Wings – has been announced as the site of the 2023 Athletes Unlimited basketball season.
The season will emanate from February 22 to March 26. This Saturday (October 29), CBS and Paramount+ will air a 30-minute special called “Athletes Unlimited: A Pro Sports Revolution” that will be hosted by Heather Cox. It will convey Athletes Unlimited’s story from when it was first established to today. Among its elements it will analyze include its particular scoring system as well as figures that have played integral roles in the organization’s growth and expansion.
A total of 30 games will take place with five of them occurring on CBS Sports Network. In addition, the Air National Guard will be a new sponsor for the Athletes Unlimited basketball season.
Athletes Unlimited has announced that 31 players have inked contracts to participate in its 2023 season. The notable names from the WNBA ranks include Lexie Brown, Jordin Canada, DiJonai Carrington, Essence Carson, Layshia Clarendon, Natasha Cloud, Taj Cole, Sydney Colson, Allisha Gray, Rebecca Harris, Naz Hillmon, Meme Jackson, N’dea Jones, Kelsey Mitchell, Odyssey Sims, NaLyssa Smith, Destinee Walker, Evina Westbrook and Courtney Williams.
Colson, Brown and Cloud are among the 21 players who are returning for the second season of Athletes Unlimited basketball. Fair Park Coliseum was also the site of this year’s Athletes Unlimited volleyball campaign.
Outside of basketball and volleyball, Athletes Unlimited also has seasons for lacrosse, softball and AUX softball.
Back in February, the first Athletes Unlimited hoops season concluded in Sin City with Tianna Hawkins being crowned the inaugural champion. The top four included Brown, Cloud and Isabelle Harrison.
Harrison finished with 6,831 points last year. Cloud was second with 5,919 and Harrison managed to come away with 5,373. Brown had 5,317 and Kalani Brown was fifth with 5,192.
The top three finishers from its recently completed volleyball season were Bethania De La Cruz (4,652), Natalia Valentin-Anderson (3,337) and Dani Drews (3,308).
Athletes Unlimited is bestowing upon Unlimited Club members initial access to presale season tickets beginning at 11 a.m. eastern time and 10 a.m. central time. The following day will be when tickets will be available for anyone wishing to purchase tickets. A link on the Athletes Unlimited website will be where tickets will be sold.
The top three finishers from this past year’s softball tournament were Dejah Mulipola (1,782 points), Alyssa Denham (1,720 points) and Haylie McCleney (1,650 points). When the inaugural AUX softball season took place at SDSU Softball Stadium at San Diego State University, Danielle O’Toole was the leading point-getter at the home of the Aztecs with 1,436 points. Rachel Garcia finished with 1,422 points and Mulipola appeared again on the leaderboard with a grand total of 1,368 points.
Athletes Unlimited basketball heading to Dallas is another noteworthy women’s basketball event heading to north Texas. The 2023 Final Four is also set to take place in Dallas in April at the American Airlines Center – home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
We are thrilled to bring the excitement of Athletes Unlimited Basketball to our great fans in Dallas, which will truly be the epicenter of women’s basketball during that time with AU and the NCAA Final Fours happening so close together.
-Jon Patricof, CEO and Co-Founder of Athletes Unlimited (per press release)
The inaugural season was competitive and fun, we have a talented roster ready to bring that same intensity to year two in Dallas! We hope the Dallas is ready to embrace AU hoops because we’re so excited for another season to be able to play stateside.
–Sydney Colson, Athletes Unlimited Basketball Player Executive Committee (per press release)
Athletes Unlimited features a unique tournament of hoops that include scoring methods different from one’s typical WNBA matchup. Team wins and individual performance are two ways those players garner points – and they can be earned on a play-by-play basis. Teams can also change with regularity and the top four athletes going through a draft as team captains.
Between Athletes Unlimited and the NCAA Women’s Final Four, Dallas will be an epicenter for women’s basketball in February and March.
–Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission (per press release)
A partnership with Athletes Unlimited will allow the Air National Guard to influence a new, untapped audience and expand our reach with this community of both athletes and fans across the country. The Air National Guard seeks to engage the best and the brightest talent throughout the country and this will give us that opportunity.
–Lt. Col Anthony Fore, Air Force Recruiting Service Total Force Marketing deputy (per press release)
