Project B, a new global league, announced that it had signed Park Ji-hyun and unveiled its plans to host a training camp in Seoul in January next year, ahead of its inaugural season.
Park Ji-hyun, center, high-fives teammates during the second Group A game against Nigeria at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament in Villeurbanne, France, on March 12.
INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION
Korean national team fixture and current Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Park Ji-hyun has joined a startup international basketball league.
Project B announced on Tuesday that it had signed Park and unveiled its plans to host a training camp in Seoul in January next year, ahead of its inaugural season.
“The decision to begin this chapter in Seoul reflects Project B’s long-term commitment to Korea and its broader belief in Asia as a critical center of basketball’s global future,” said Geoff Prentice, the co-founder and CEO of Project B, in a press release.
“We are proud to have the very best Korean players alongside the best players from around the world, bringing global talent together in a country with such a deep passion for the game.”
Project B is the new global league founded by Prentice and Grady Burnett, a former Google and Facebook executive. It comprises separate women’s and men’s leagues, with six teams per circuit featuring 11 players each.
Former WNBA star Alana Beard is Project B’s chief basketball officer, and former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook joined as chief strategy officer following his recent retirement.
NFL legend Steve Young and tennis great Novak Djokovic are among Project B’s investors and advisers.
Several other WNBA players have already committed to Project B, including Nneka Ogwumike, Park’s teammate with the Los Angeles Sparks, and Phoenix Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas.
Project B plans to offer its female players more money than the WNBA and give them equity in the league. Its inaugural season is set to run from January to April 2027, avoiding the May-to-October WNBA window.
Park Ji-hyun, left, attempts a layup during the second Group A game against Nigeria at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 qualifying tournament in Villeurbanne, France, on March 12.
INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION
The Project B season will be played in tournaments throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America. Valencia in Spain and the Japanese capital of Tokyo have been confirmed as tournament hosts.
Project B said that Park Hyatt Seoul in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, will host its training camp with players, coaches and basketball officials from Jan. 6 to 12, 2027.
“To have Project B bring a training camp to Seoul makes this moment even more special for me,” Park said in the Project B statement. “Korea is home, and I am incredibly proud that my teammates from around the world will have the opportunity to experience the energy, culture and passion for basketball here. I can’t wait to welcome everyone […] to begin this journey together.”
By joining the Sparks ahead of this season, Park became just the third Korean player ever to play in the WNBA. A former first overall pick in the Women’s Korean Basketball League, Park quickly emerged as one of the country’s top players for Asan Woori Bank, winning the Rookie of the Year award in the 2018-19 season and helping her team to three championships.
She spent time in pro leagues in Australia, New Zealand and Spain before taking her talent to the WNBA.
“[Park] has sought out the highest levels of competition around the world and continued to elevate her game everywhere that she has played,” Beard said. “She is a tremendous talent, an exceptional representative of Korean basketball and exactly the kind of player that we want helping build Project B. Seoul is one of the world’s great cultural capitals, with an incredible basketball community and an energy that reaches far beyond sport. Bringing our players here […] gives us the opportunity to build something special together while connecting with the city and its culture.”
Yonhap