Awa Fam finishes record-breaking WNBA rookie year and joins Project B

Record-Breaking Rookie Finale in Seattle

The regular-season finale brought a familiar result for a Seattle Storm side that had long since fallen out of the postseason race. Yet the night belonged to Fam, who erupted for 22 points to set a new career-high scoring mark in the North American league. It served as the exclamation point on a stellar rookie campaign that began when Seattle selected her with the number three overall pick in the WNBA draft—matching the highest selection ever achieved by a Spanish player, a milestone previously shared with Pau Gasol when the legendary center was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks.

Fam departs her first professional test in the United States firmly in the conversation for the WNBA All-Rookie Team. Her 5.9 rebounds per game led all first-year players, while her 10.3 points per contest ranked eighth among rookies. She also finished third in blocks with 0.8 per game and second in three-pointers made among positional peers, draining 1.5 shots from beyond the arc each night.

Dominating the Glass and Beyond the Arc

Inside the Storm’s record books, Fam rewrote franchise marks for first-year players. She secured 72 offensive rebounds, setting a new rookie standard for the team. Her 148 defensive boards pushed her total to 220 rebounds for the season, ranking her third all-time among franchise rookies. She also stood alone as the first rookie to cross the 200-rebound threshold this season, while becoming the youngest player in WNBA history to sink 50 or more triples in a single campaign, finishing with 53 made three-pointers at just 20 years of age.

Transitioning to Project B

With her first WNBA season officially in the rear-view mirror, Fam is set to embark on a lucrative new venture. She will take part in Project B, a newly formed international competition scheduled to run from November 2026 through April 2027. Operating outside the traditional WNBA calendar, the league bridges the gap between European club schedules.

Founded by Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice, Project B adopts a Formula One-style weekend model. The circuit spans seven ten-day tournaments hosted across America, Asia, and Europe. While most locations remain under wraps, Tokyo and Valencia have been confirmed as host cities. Spain’s premier Roig Arena will welcome the tour from March 12 to 21, coinciding with the city’s famous Fallas festival.

Lucrative Contracts and Evolving Trends

Project B aims to reshape women’s professional basketball through unprecedented financial compensation. According to Front Office Sports, star player contracts will start in the seven-figure range and climb as high as eight figures, scaling from two million to ten million dollars per deal. These staggering figures eclipse current maximum earnings found across the Euroliga, Spain’s Liga Femenina Endesa, China’s WCBA, and Australia’s WNBL.

The financial scale even surpasses the newly enhanced WNBA collective bargaining agreement. Following recent negotiations between league management and the players’ union, the WNBA’s average salary climbs, with the super-maximum contract increasing. Despite those substantial domestic gains, Project B’s backing represents an entirely different tier of professional investment.