{"id":134765,"date":"2026-04-21T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/?p=134765"},"modified":"2026-04-20T19:30:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T23:30:34","slug":"upshot-league-unveils-first-premier-players-ahead-of-inaugural-season-with-final-rosters-announced-may-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/upshot-league-unveils-first-premier-players-ahead-of-inaugural-season-with-final-rosters-announced-may-8\/","title":{"rendered":"UPSHOT League Unveils First Premier Players Ahead of Inaugural Season with Final Rosters Announced May 8"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 21, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) &#8212; The UPSHOT League, a new professional women\u2019s basketball league created to expand elite playing opportunities and elevate communities, today announced its first wave of premier players set to define the league\u2019s debut season. This curated group of athletes brings together standout talent from the WNBA, top collegiate programs, and leading international teams\u2014establishing an immediate and unmistakable standard of excellence. The announcement was made by UPSHOT League Co-Founder and Commissioner Donna Orender, alongside VP of Basketball Operations Taj McWilliams-Franklin.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The UPSHOT League\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/26-0313-s2p-upshot-league-800x600-200x150.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/><em>Image caption: The UPSHOT League.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a foundational moment for the Upshot League,\u201d said Orender. \u201cThese players reflect exactly who we are\u2014elite, competitive, and globally relevant from day one. They are seizing expanded opportunities, and we celebrate creating a new stage for women\u2019s professional basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Collectively, this class includes WNBA first- through third-round draft selections, multiple All-Americans, conference players of the year, and internationally decorated professionals with experience across Europe and global competition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>INAUGURAL PLAYER SIGNINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lindsey Pulliam | 5\u201910\u201d | Shooting Guard<\/strong><br \/>\nNorthwestern University<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2021 WNBA Draft \u2013 3rd Round, 27th Pick (Atlanta Dream)<\/li>\n<li>2\u00d7 First Team All-Big Ten (2019, 2020)<\/li>\n<li>Second Team All-Big Ten (2021)<\/li>\n<li>USA Basketball Silver Medalist \u2013 2019 Pan American Games<\/li>\n<li>Professional experience: Spain, Turkey, Slovakia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Jasmine Walker | 6\u20193\u201d | Power Forward<\/strong><br \/>\nFlorida State \/ Alabama<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2021 WNBA Draft \u2013 1st Round, 7th Pick (Los Angeles Sparks)<\/li>\n<li>2\u00d7 All-SEC Selection<\/li>\n<li>All-America Honorable Mention<\/li>\n<li>SEC leader in three-point field goals<\/li>\n<li>Led Alabama to its first NCAA Tournament berth in 22 years<\/li>\n<li>School-record 41 points and 15 rebounds<\/li>\n<li>Katrina McClain Award Finalist<\/li>\n<li>High School Honors:\n<ul>\n<li>Gatorade Player of the Year<\/li>\n<li>Alabama Miss Basketball<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Professional experience: France, Athletes Unlimited<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Amiya Joyner | 6\u20192\u201d | Forward<\/strong><br \/>\nLSU \/ East Carolina University<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2026 College All-Star Game Participant (Team Cheryl Miller)<\/li>\n<li>2025 All-AAC First Team<\/li>\n<li>2023 AAC Freshman of the Year<\/li>\n<li>2023 All-AAC Third Team<\/li>\n<li>8\u00d7 AAC Freshman of the Week<\/li>\n<li>AAC All-Tournament Team<\/li>\n<li>Former 4-star ESPN recruit<\/li>\n<li>High School State Champion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Asia (AD) Durr | 5\u201910\u201d | Guard<\/strong><br \/>\nUniversity of Louisville<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2\u00d7 ACC Player of the Year (2018, 2019)<\/li>\n<li>2\u00d7 WBCA First Team All-American<\/li>\n<li>2\u00d7 AP First Team All-American<\/li>\n<li>2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Winner<\/li>\n<li>2019 Dawn Staley Award Winner<\/li>\n<li>2019 WNBA Draft \u2013 2nd Overall Pick<\/li>\n<li>Career averages: 17 PPG, 2 APG, 3 RPG<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Que Morrison | Guard<\/strong><br \/>\nUniversity of Georgia<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2022 All-SEC Second Team<\/li>\n<li>3\u00d7 SEC All-Defensive Team<\/li>\n<li>2021 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year<\/li>\n<li>Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List<\/li>\n<li>Dawn Staley Award Watch List<\/li>\n<li>SEC All-Freshman Team (2018)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Schaquilla Nunn | 6\u20193\u201d | Center<\/strong><br \/>\nUniversity of Tennessee<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1,000+ career points<\/li>\n<li>1,000+ career rebounds<\/li>\n<li>2026: Recorded 28 points and 21 rebounds in Cup Quarterfinal game<\/li>\n<li>2026: League MVP (Portugal)<\/li>\n<li>2017 WNBA Draft \u2013 25th Overall Pick<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>ABOUT THE UPSHOT LEAGUE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Upshot League is a premier women\u2019s professional basketball league built on elite competition, player opportunity, and community connection. With a foundation rooted in high-level talent and global experience, the league aims to redefine the professional landscape while expanding opportunities for women\u2019s basketball in the United States.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MEDIA CONTACT:<\/strong><br \/>\nUPSHOT League Communications<br \/>\nLeslieAnne Wade<br \/>\n(917) 751-7693<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/\">https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>LOGO link for media: <a href=\"https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/UPSHOT_LOGO.png\" class=\"autohyperlink\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/upshotleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/UPSHOT_LOGO.png<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 21, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) &#8212; The UPSHOT League, a new professional women&#8217;s basketball league created to expand elite playing opportunities and elevate communities, today announced its first wave of premier players set to define the league&#8217;s debut season. This curated group of athletes brings together standout talent from the WNBA, top collegiate programs, and leading international teams-establishing an immediate and unmistakable standard of excellence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10216,"featured_media":133880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[611,12804,1,14,134,19632,30,956],"tags":[7408],"class_list":["post-134765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-news","category-ap","category-business-news","category-florida-news","category-general-editorial-news","category-jacksonville-business","category-sports-news","category-womens-interest","tag-women-in-sports","has-post-title","has-post-date","no-post-category","no-post-tag","no-post-comment","has-post-author"],"acf":[],"views":656,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134765"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134768,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134765\/revisions\/134768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}