Sydney Colson Rejoins Athletes Unlimited as One of the First Signings for 2026 Season

On February 4th, 2026, Athletes Unlimited will return for its fifth season. The winter league will also return for its second season in Nashville, Tennessee, and aims to build on a record-breaking 2025 season.

“Nashville welcomed us with open arms last season, and we’re thrilled to return to

Municipal Auditorium for another year of world-class hoops,” Megan Perry, Vice President of Basketball for Athletes Unlimited, said in the press release.

“With a roster that blends proven leaders and exciting new faces, AU Pro Basketball is where legends rise and new stars are born.”

The first player-led 5x5 league has been a great environment for vets to explore new aspects of their games while also giving youngsters a great opportunity to showcase their burgeoning talents. Maddy Siegrist took home the championship title in 2024.

Lexie Brown is all smiles as she competes for Team Orange. Photo Credit: Athletes Unlimited

Here are the players who are returning to AU after playing in the 2025 season:

• Lexie Brown

• Alysha Clark

• Sydney Colson

• Isabelle Harrison

• Kia Nurse

• Odyssey Sims

• NaLyssa Smith

And the newcomers to AU:

• Ariel Atkins

• Aaliyah Nye

• Te-Hina Paopao

• Jacy Sheldon

• Kiah Stokes

  
  

In the United States, opportunities are scarce for women’s basketball players outside of the WNBA to play in front of friends and family without having to travel overseas. 

“It’s a different model,” Sydney Colson told Boardroom in February 2025, “We’re giving everybody a chance, and that’s important to us and one of the staples here. All of it together is great for women’s basketball because it’s more opportunities for people to make money in the states and not have to leave and go play overseas if they don’t want to," she added.

Colson was all but officially retired in 2021, but she decided to give professional basketball one more chance and joined Athletes Unlimited. Around that time, the Las Vegas Aces announced Becky Hammon as the team's second-ever head coach. Hammon liked what she saw from Colson, and the Aces extended her a contract offer.

In a world where development opportunities for women are scarce, AU Hoops provided Colson with a path back to the WNBA. Two WNBA Championships later, and she hopes the opportunities continue to arise.

"There’s a lot of stuff on the men’s side ... we want the women’s basketball landscape to mirror that as well eventually,” Colson said.

With the success of Athletes Unlimited, players of various stripes will have more opportunities to play and hone their craft.

As we draw closer to Opening Day in February 2026, we’ll learn more about which players will be heading down to Nashville. It’s going to be a great time, and we’re excited to see what AU has in store next.