The South Carolina alum joins a star-studded lineup as professional women’s basketball expands into the Carolinas
The South Carolina Gamecocks pipeline continues to reach into every corner of women’s basketball. E’lisia “Lele” Grissett, a member of Dawn Staley’s 2022 national championship squad, has earned a spot on the Charlotte Crown’s inaugural roster in the newly launched UPSHOT League — making her one of the first former Gamecocks to compete in the league that is quietly reshaping the professional landscape for women’s basketball in the United States.
The Charlotte Crown unveiled its full 11-player roster with two developmental spots on May 8, and the group assembled is anything but ordinary.
A Star-Studded Roster Built for a Historic Moment
The Crown’s inaugural lineup reads like a greatest hits collection of ACC and women’s college basketball royalty. Asia “AD” Durr — the second overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft and a two-time ACC Player of the Year — headlines a guard unit that also includes Deja Kelly, a three-time First-Team All-ACC selection out of North Carolina. Jasmyne Roberts, Dazia Lawrence, Reigan Richardson, and Chloe Welch round out a backcourt deep with experience and accolades, including multiple McDonald’s All-Americans and high school Gatorade Players of the Year.
In the frontcourt, Grissett joins Diamond McDowell and Eboni Walker at forward, with Quinzia Fulmore and Emer Nichols holding down the center positions. The developmental spots are occupied by guards Cori Lard and Janay Sanders.
For Grissett — who goes by Lele — earning a spot on this roster alongside players of this caliber is a meaningful professional milestone. As a national champion with South Carolina in 2022, she carries the kind of winning culture and program identity that translates to any environment. Her inclusion also gives the Crown a direct connection to the most decorated women’s college basketball program of the past decade.
Charlotte, Through and Through
What makes this roster particularly compelling beyond the basketball credentials is its deep regional roots. The Crown has clearly been built with community identity in mind. Grissett was born in Durham, making her one of six North Carolinians on the roster alongside Fulmore (Greensboro), Lawrence (Greenville), McDowell (Asheboro), and Queen City natives Richardson and Sanders.
The college representation is equally local, with players who suited up for UNC, Duke, Charlotte, South Carolina, Winthrop, Elon, Appalachian State, Davidson, and Anderson all finding a home on Charlotte’s inaugural roster. This isn’t just a basketball team — it’s a deliberate effort to build a franchise that reflects the community it represents.
The UPSHOT League: A New Chapter for Women’s Basketball
The league itself represents something larger than any single roster. The UPSHOT League is a professional women’s basketball operation with former WNBA president Donna Orender serving as commissioner, featuring four founding franchises — the Jacksonville Waves, Savannah Steel, Greensboro Groove, and Charlotte Crown — each playing a 40-game regular season schedule that runs from May through August. The league tipped off its inaugural season having raised $40 million in investment funding, a signal that this is a serious, well-resourced venture — not a short-term experiment.
The league’s stated mission centers on creating new opportunities for women’s basketball players, building stronger connections between athletes and fans, and expanding the reach of the women’s game domestically — particularly important at a time when many players have historically had to travel overseas to continue their professional careers after college.
For Lele Grissett, that mission is personal. She now has a professional home close to where she grew up, competing in front of the fans and communities that watched her come of age as a player.
What’s Next
The Charlotte Crown open their season on the road in Jacksonville on Friday, May 15, before making their home debut at Bojangles Coliseum on Thursday, May 21. Opening Night, presented by Novant Health, will feature a Fan Fest outside the Coliseum from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. before tip-off at 7 p.m.
For Gamecock fans across the Carolinas, May 21 offers a new and easy reason to show up. Lele Grissett — national champion, Durham native, South Carolina alum — will be taking the floor in a professional setting right in the heart of her home region. The Queen City now has its Crown, and one of Dawn Staley’s own helped build it.
