The WNBA playoffs are about to start, which means an equal mixture of excitement for the end-season team heroics and some sadness at the season finally hitting the brakes. But fear not, because the offseason will not leave fans or players feeling idle. Returning for its fourth season, Athletes Unlimited Hoops is coming to Nashville next! And from big names like Sheryl Swoopes to current stars like Lexie Brown, couldn’t be more excited.

The Sparks player who also chairs the AU Pro Basketball Player Executive Committee announced on X, “dropping in to inform yall that @AUProSports is an off season PROFESSIONAL league that has allowed us to play domestically for the last 3 years. IT IS PLAYER LED AND PLAYER RAN. Tap in if you haven’t already 🏀🫶🏾 NASHVILLE HERE WE COME 🕺🏾”

The next season is set to take place from February 5 through March 2, 2025, with all 24 games to be played at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. After Las Vegas hosted the inaugural season of AU Hoops, Dallas had the opportunity to host pro ballers in the last two winters.

Meanwhile Sheryl Swoopes waits with bated breath for January to roll around, just like the rest of us! “LET’S GO!!! So excited for Season 4 of #AUProHoops. It just keeps getting better!” she posted on X. The WNBA legend has also tried her hand at AU Hoops after being invited to the AU Celebrity Hoops Classic, hosted by Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball at Fair Park Coliseum on March 16 this year.

Lastly, Chicago Sky forward Isabelle Harrison is more than looking forward to returning to her hometown, “Momma, IM COMING HOME!!! 615 baby 💪🏽” The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year will return to the star-studded roster that features a majority of WNBA players but is not restricted to them.

Sydney Colson, who reposted Brown’s X post, reminisced on the previous versions of the game, “Gonna miss the fans in Dallas, but make sure y’all come watch in Nashville!” She also wrote in a separate post, “Lil change of scenery! Excited for season 4 in Nashville!! 💃🏾” 

The special initiative behind this league is not just that it’s athlete-owned but is also focused on improving individual talent and ranking in a sport that doesn’t function without teams. It’s how Swoopes puts it, that it welcomes a family environment. The rules for a women’s league will undoubtedly have to be different than men’s, and what this veteran likes is how AU Hoops gives a level of flexibility.

Amid numerous advantages that AU Hoops offers, Sheryl Swoopes likes the ‘help’ they offer

In an interview with Athletes Unlimited in 2022, Sheryl Swoopes looked back at her own career and the difficulties she went through by juggling the role of a mom and a pro athlete. First thanking Title IX, the retired player reiterated how the law allowed players like her to focus on their game rather than fighting to play at all.

But then Swoopes also touched on how a commentating experience at one of the earliest editions of AU Hoops made her see the league in a new way. “I had the pleasure of doing color commentating for Athletes Unlimited in February, and with what they offer as far as help, it was such a family environment. They said bring your kids, even if you have ten!” she told Athletes Unlimited.

“You’re also talking about two men (the co-founders of Athletes Unlimited) that recognize that women need another professional league, there were so many great players getting waived in the WNBA. These two men wanted to give these women what they deserve.”

There are still about five months before the off-season games roll around. As we root for our favorite teams and wonder which team will sweep the World Champion title this year, the AU Hoops becomes more basketball to look forward to!