The Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball league wrapped up its first week of play in Nashville this weekend with six hard-fought matches between the Gold Rush, Glow, Rhythm and Eclipse.
Let’s take a look at what happened on the court:
Wednesday games
Tina Charles racked up 17 points and nine rebounds as she led the Glow to an 86-73 win over the Rhythm on Tuesday. Charles was one of five Glow players who all scored in the double digits: NaLyssa Smith had 16 points and 16 rebounds, Zia Cooke came off the bench and grabbed 16 points of her own, Ariel Atkins added 12 points and Emma Cannon added on 10 points.
Kia Nurse also added on 22 points of her own for the Rhythm (including 14 in the second half), and Bree Hall tallied 17 points and 4 rebounds in her league debut.
The first match of the season belonged to the Glow from nearly the very start. The team broke away and launched an enthralling 26-3 run in the first quarter, and the Rhythm struggled in their attempts to come back. The Glow ended the night occupying eight of the top 10 spots on the leaderboard, and Smith was named MVP 3.
Smith, who is back in Athletes Unlimited for the first time since the 2023 season, told reporters after the game that coming back to the league “felt like I was coming home.”
She also added that when drafting her first roster she wanted to focus on bringing on “a great big” and then “working our way to a great point guard as in Aerial [Powers] or Te-Hina [Paopao].” Of the Glow’s chemistry, which was notable from the beginning, Smith said, “There was nothing that I had to do to hype them up,” and that the team’s energy was due to the fact that “we’re all ready to get back out there and get to competing with everybody.”
The second match of the night tipped off at 8 p.m. CST and featured the Eclipse, who dominated the Gold Rush 101-83 in an effort led by Asia Taylor, who scored 12 of her career-high 22 points in the second half and was named MVP 1.
Rebekah Gardner added on 17 points in her Athletes Unlimited debut. Other double-digit scorers included Aneesah Morrow, who had 14 points and Kaitlyn Chen and Kierstan Bell with 10 points each. Despite their loss, the Gold Rush saw 18 points from Odyssey Sims, 17 points from Aerial Powers, 15 points from Teana Muldrow and 11 points from Bria Hartley.
Sims also hit another major milestone when she became the third player in league history to earn more than 300 career rebounds.
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While speaking to reporters after the game, Gardner emphasized that league veteran Lexie Brown played an instrumental role in helping her learn the ropes of Athletes Unlimited. “She was just telling me how it’s broken down,” Gardner explained of the league’s rules and leaderboard. “What I love about our team this week is we all play very well together, and I feel like when you play like that, you don’t have to thin about your individual points.”
Gardner also praised the Gold Rush’s “high IQ from top to bottom,” before she admitted that she has “no idea what to expect” when teams are reorganized this week.
Friday games
The second night of games began with a match between the Eclipse and Glow that ended in a 100-92 win for the former, their second straight win of the season. Mercedes Russell was named MVP 3 after earning a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Morrow again contributed significantly with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the Glow benefitted from a 25-point performance from Cooke.
But the first game belonged to Chen, who took over the leaderboard with 1,176 points after giving the Eclipse 18 points and six assists.
Sims led the way for the Gold Rush with a team-high 21 points during the second match of the night, and the team managed an 80-72 victory over the Rhythm. Her effort was aided by that of Powers, who had 16 points off the bench and was named MVP 2. Sarah Ashlee Barker added on another 13 points, Muldrow had 12 and Kiah Stokes rounded out the team’s win with a game-high 15 rebounds.
While speaking to reporters after the game, Morrow, who completed her rookie season in the WNBA last year, acknowledged that having that experience is making the Athletes Unlimited games more fun. She’s able to “play more freely” in Nashville, and has also been able to focus on showing off her offseason work.
Morrow has focused on “being able to put the ball on the floor and knock down outside shots” since the end of the 2025 season — but added that she’s worried being a captain during the league’s second week will be “a little bit stressful.”
Saturday games
The final matches of the week began with a close match between the Eclipse and Rhythm on Saturday. Chen, who had 15 points and was 6-for-11 from the field, managed to help push the team to an 80-76 win with the help of Morrow, who had a late-game layup to lock in the win.
Morrow had a strong second half in general, adding on nine of her team-high 16 points during the third and fourth quarters.
Despite the Rhythm’s loss, Hall had a massive 25 points on 10-for-14 field goal shooting and Jaylyn Sherrod had 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
A Sunday draft
Captains and teams rotate weekly in Athletes Unlimited, and this week’s new captains — Chen, Morrow, Gardner, and league and WNBA veteran Alysha Clark — held a draft on Sunday.
Chen, who will captain the Gold Rush, chose Hall, Jacy Sheldon, Nurse, Te-Hina Paopao, Hartley, Kiara Leslie, Rebecca Harris, Stokes, and Muldrow for her team.
Gardner, this week’s leader of the Glow, selected Sims, Mack, Barker, Cannon, Belle, McKenzie Forbes, Dorie Harrison, Lexie Brown, and Grace Berger.
Morrow, who will helm the ship for the Rhythm, chose Smith, Cooke, Taylor, Powers, Kayana Traylor, Brianna Turner, Sequoia Holmes, Deja Kelly, and Isabelle Harrison.
Clark, the captain of the Eclipse, selected Russell, Shey Peddy, Atkins, Aaliyah Nye, Charles, Sherrod, JoJo Lacey, and Alaina Coates.
WNBA CBA negotiations hang over heads
The first week of games took place in the context of ongoing CBA negotiations within the WNBA. Though the spirits of players were high, the topic of the CBA was everywhere. The WNBA and WNBPA remain in a period of status quo as the two sides attempt to come up with a new deal.
Morrow noted that after a visit from WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, who spent met with players on Friday, said they’re “standing together, and that’s the biggest thing.”