{"id":160762,"date":"2025-08-20T09:38:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T09:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/160762\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T09:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T09:38:09","slug":"how-does-wnba-expansion-affect-philly-players-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/160762\/","title":{"rendered":"How does WNBA expansion affect Philly players overseas?"},"content":{"rendered":"

While fans eagerly wait for the Philadelphia WNBA<\/a> expansion team to tip off in 2030, players themselves are excited, too. Professional players from the area are fueling the anticipation by playing in the league and overseas.<\/p>\n

Around half the WNBA\u2019s players played in overseas leagues last offseason, Sportico<\/a> found. While this number is down from a peak of 60% last decade, a lot of Philly-bred talent still spend the offseason abroad.<\/p>\n

Growing up, Kamiah Smalls said she \u201calways dreamed of the WNBA, but always strived for overseas, too.\u201d She played at Neumann Goretti and James Madison and was drafted by the Indiana Fever 28th overall in the 2020 WNBA draft. Since then, she\u2019s played for the Minnesota Lynx (2022), Atlanta Dream (she signed a seven-day contract Aug. 1 and played three games), and in Italy and will play for Galatasaray of the Turkish Super League this season. Smalls can\u2019t wait for the Philly team to begin play.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Hometown kid, we coming home,\u2019 that was the first thing I said,\u201d Smalls said. \u201cI got up that morning, and that was the motivation for my workout that day. It\u2019s necessary for the city. It\u2019ll help to really bring some light to Philadelphia, some peace, some calmness. I think it\u2019s long overdue. \u2026 It will really help some young girls to really manifest their own dreams. The sooner you can learn that you love the game, that\u2019s when you start working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smalls found a love of basketball overseas, and so have many others. Washington Mystics rookie Lucy Olsen said veteran players have strongly encouraged her to play overseas and explore the different play styles in other leagues.<\/p>\n

Olsen, a Montgomery County<\/a> native and former Villanova<\/a> and Iowa standout, was the 23rd overall pick in April\u2019s draft and has averaged 3.6 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 31 games (11.7 minutes per game). She signed with the Townsville Fire<\/a> in Australia\u2019s Women\u2019s National Basketball League for the 2025-26 WNBA offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to travel while I can, and I want to just get more experience,\u201d Olsen said. \u201cIt gives you different competition. It gives you a different role than you have in the W sometimes and makes a little extra money. I chose Australia because it was a combination of everything, and it\u2019s a shorter season than Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Lucy Olsen is carving out a role in the WNBA. Former Villanova teammate Maddy Siegrist showed her how.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The shorter season is important for players like Olsen, who went straight from the college basketball season to the WNBA. Her season overseas begins Oct. 19, the same day as the last possible WNBA Finals date<\/a>. Iowa\u2019s season ended in the second round<\/a> of the NCAA Tournament<\/a>, but some rookies, like Dallas\u2019 Paige Bueckers, had a run with Connecticut that ended in the national title game on April 6, eight days before the draft.<\/p>\n

Players who are waived by WNBA teams often head overseas. Diamond Johnson<\/a> starred at Neumann Goretti and Norfolk State and signed a training camp deal with the Minnesota Lynx this year but was cut. She recently signed with Hefei<\/a> in the Women\u2019s Chinese Basketball Association, describing it as the best option for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want the experience,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAs you see the W growing now, a lot of players come from overseas. They\u2019ve been playing professionally for longer than us over here in the U.S. [Teams will] get to see me play against more pros as I go.\u201d<\/p>\n

With five expansion teams beginning play in the next five seasons, roster spots will increase from 156 to roughly 216, so players are looking for any opportunity to continue playing, practicing, and preparing for the possibility of being added to a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe spots definitely matter,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great players sitting on free agency, a lot of talent out there, so I\u2019m definitely glad that there will be more spots, not only for me, but for other players as well to get their chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keishana Washington<\/a> has experienced the lack of roster spots. After a record-setting five-year tenure at Drexel<\/a>, she went undrafted in 2023. She signed a training camp contract with Minnesota, but didn\u2019t make the roster. She most recently played with Saint Amand Hainaut-Basket in France.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the expansion, it gives players the opportunity to be able to just play in the W,\u201d Washington said. \u201cHopefully, with the new CBA agreements<\/a>, players will be making more money to be able to sustain themselves and not have to go overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Women\u2019s soccer teaches the WNBA a history lesson about when CBA talks go wrong<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Seeing how players prepare in the WNBA and overseas, Washington said the WNBA is more intense and physical than most of the European teams she has played. It ties into the small rosters, she said, and how every seat on the bench is filled with very talented players. <\/p>\n

Smalls and Olsen have heard of WNBA players negotiating shorter overseas contracts to allow for more rest and recovery time, and Olsen said she plans to do that later. Many active players have half-season contracts, and Smalls thinks it is a best-of-both-worlds situation. <\/p>\n

\u201cI do enjoy going overseas,\u201d Smalls said. \u201cSometimes it gets hard, I will not take that away from that experience. It gets very hard at some points. \u2026 But I have enjoyed being able to see the world from a different perspective, from different cultures, different experiences. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I am excited for people to get the chance to see me actually play stateside again, if I get that opportunity. I want my family to still be able to see me play, still see me thrive and enjoy what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Washington, who was born and raised in Pickering, Ontario, has personal connections to both the Toronto and Philly expansion teams, and would feel \u201ca different level of joy\u201d to be on either team\u2019s roster. But ultimately, she\u2019s just happy to play anywhere \u2014 on any continent \u2014 and for any team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the more basketball you can play, no matter where you are, the better prepared you\u2019ll be for any given situation and opportunity,\u201d Washington said. \u201cYou\u2019re preparing, no matter who you\u2019re playing for, you\u2019re playing with, at the end of the day, you\u2019re playing basketball. So I think that that\u2019s good for whatever opportunities come your way.\u201d<\/p>\n