Make room on Broadway. Athletes Unlimited is returning to Nashville on Feb. 4 for another year of action.
Ahead of tip-off, the league announced its full roster of players and coaches on Thursday, Jan. 15, as the league prepares for its fifth season.
Those playing this year are:
- Ariel Atkins
- Sarah Ashlee Barker
- Kierstan Bell
- Grace Berger
- Lexie Brown
- Emma Cannon
- Tina Charles
- Kaitlyn Chen
- Alysha Clark
- Alaina Coates
- Zia Cooke
- McKenzie Forbes
- Rebekah Gardner
- Aubryanna “Bree” Hall
- Rebecca Harris
- Dori Harrison
- Isabelle Harrison
- Bria Hartley
- Air Hearn
- Sequoia Holmes
- Deja Kelly
- Jojo Lacey
- Kiara Leslie
- Natasha Mack
- Aneesah Morrow
- Teana Muldrow
- Kia Nurse
- Aaliyah Nye
- Te-Hina Paopao
- Shey Peddy
- Aerial Powers
- Mercedes Russell
- Jacy Sheldon
- Jaylyn Sherrod
- Odyssey Sims
- NaLyssa Smith
- Kiah Stokes
- Asia Taylor
- Kayanna Traylor
- Brianna Turner
“This roster reflects exactly what AU Pro Basketball is about – elite competition, meaningful opportunity, and players who want to test themselves against the very best,” said Megan Perry, Vice President of Basketball for Athletes Unlimited, in a press release. “The depth across all 40 spots is exceptional, and it’s going to make this one of the most challenging and compelling seasons we’ve had.”
AU Pro Basketball also announced its 2026 coaching staff in the release. Coaches for the four teams will include Zak Buncik, Edniesha Curry, Chaz Franklin, and Kia Vaughn, and they will be supported by Player Enhancement Specialists Dee Brown.
Let’s take a look at five players to keep an eye on throughout the season:
Tina Charles
Remember when we weren’t sure if Charles would play basketball again? She’s had a resurgence in Atlanta and Connecticut over the last two years, and now she’ll be joining AU ahead of the 2026 WNBA season.
Charles can still get it done with the best of them in the paint on both ends of the ball. It’ll be fun to see how the veteran mixes in with the other vets and the young group that AU has this season.
Aneesah Morrow
Morrow going to AU was a big get for them over Unrivaled. While she could easily excel in Unrivaled, AU feels like it’s more built for her game at this point in her career. She came on toward the end of her rookie year in Connecticut, making an impact off the bench and in the starting lineup.
Look for Morrow to turn heads, ramping up the hype heading into her second WNBA season.
Te-Hina Paopao
Unrivaled looked like it would be the landing spot for Paopao, but she opted to sign with AU instead. The biggest aspect of her game that she needs to work on – straight out of her mouth, too – is her defense.
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There’s no hiding anyone in Unrivaled defensively, so having her play AU makes sense for her all-around growth. She can light it up from anywhere on the floor.
Odyssey Sims
I don’t want to have the Sims discourse again this season. She belongs on a WNBA roster, and she was huge for the Indiana Fever last season when they needed guard help due to injuries. Sims does a lot really well, especially offensively. She’s a dark-horse pick for the AU champion this year.
Jacy Sheldon
Sheldon is on her third WNBA team in two years, so she’ll look to continue growing in AU to become not just a perimeter defender, but a player who can create her own offense.
We’ve seen flashes of it, but a player like Sheldon is exactly the kind of player that AU is made for.