Gamecocks Stars Head to Athletes Unlimited as Women’s Pro Basketball Heats Up This Winter
While WNBA fans wait for the season to tip off (pending a new collective bargaining agreement), women’s professional basketball is thriving during the winter months. Just as Unrivaled kicked off last week featuring former South Carolina stars Aliyah Boston and Allisha Gray, another innovative league has announced its roster packed with Gamecock talent.
Athletes Unlimited revealed Thursday that four former South Carolina national champions will compete in Nashville next month: guards Zia Cooke and Te-Hina Paopao, wing Bree Hall, and post player Alaina Coates.
A League Unlike Any Other
What makes Athletes Unlimited unique is its revolutionary format. There are no permanent teams, no MVP awards, and no team champions. Instead, squads change weekly, and the league crowns an individual champion based on a “leaderboard points” system that combines personal statistics with team performance.
“The player with the most leaderboard points at the end of the season is the individual champion,” according to On3.
This format proved successful for South Carolina alumni last season, when Allisha Gray captured the championship. Fellow former Gamecock Tiffany Mitchell earned Newcomer of the Year honors, while Laeticia Amihere made the all-defensive team.
Championship Pedigree
All four participants won national championships during their time in Columbia. Hall was particularly decorated, earning two championship rings with the Gamecocks. Their success in college translated to the professional ranks, with Coates (2017) and Cooke (2023) selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft. Paopao and Hall both went in the second round of the 2025 draft.
While Cooke has previous Athletes Unlimited experience, Paopao, Coates, and Hall will make their AU debuts when the season begins February 1st and runs through March 1st.
Current WNBA Status
As of the conclusion of the 2025 WNBA season, three of the four players remain with WNBA organizations. Paopao is locked in with a multi-year contract with the Atlanta Dream, while Hall and Cooke each finished the year on rest-of-season deals with the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm respectively. Coates, who last played for the Las Vegas Aces in 2023, continues her professional career through these winter opportunities.
The Athletes Unlimited announcement reinforces South Carolina’s dominance in producing elite professional talent. With former Gamecocks starring in both Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited this winter, Dawn Staley’s program continues proving it develops players ready for success at basketball’s highest levels.
Source: On3
