Park Ji-hyun Joins Project B as Korean WNBA Star Enters New Global Basketball League
South Korean basketball star Park Ji-hyun is taking her career onto another global stage, joining Project B, a new international professional basketball league that is preparing for its inaugural season in 2027.
Project B announced Park's addition to its roster on Tuesday, September 8, while also confirming that its first training camp will take place in Seoul from January 6 to 12, 2027.
The move comes as Park continues to make history in the United States with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, making her one of the most prominent Korean players in the international women's game.
Park Ji-hyun becomes latest major name in Project B
Project B is attempting to create a new model for professional basketball by bringing elite players together for an international, tournament-style competition.
The league plans separate women's and men's circuits, with the women's competition initially featuring six teams and 11 players per team. Rather than being based around traditional home-and-away schedules, Project B intends to take its tournaments to major cities across regions including Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Seoul will now become an important early stop in that global plan.
The January training camp at Park Hyatt Seoul in Gangnam is expected to bring together players, coaches and league officials from around the world for the first time.
For Park, the Seoul connection makes the announcement particularly meaningful.
“Korea is home,” Park said in a Project B statement, expressing pride that international teammates will have an opportunity to experience the country's basketball culture and energy.
A league packed with WNBA talent
Park is not entering Project B alone.
The emerging league has already attracted a group of high-profile WNBA players, including Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham, according to recent reports.
That star power is one of Project B's biggest selling points.
The league has also positioned itself as a player-focused venture, saying women's players will receive compensation above current WNBA levels and receive equity in the league. However, specific financial terms have not been fully disclosed publicly, so claims about exact salaries should be treated cautiously.
The league has also attracted major names from outside basketball.
Recently retired NBA superstar Russell Westbrook joined Project B as a co-founder and chief strategy officer, while tennis legend Novak Djokovic has been identified as an investor and adviser.
Why Park's signing matters for Korean basketball
Park's arrival gives Project B another major international connection while strengthening Korea's position in the league's global strategy.
The 26-year-old guard became only the third South Korean player to appear in the WNBA when she joined the Los Angeles Sparks for the 2026 season. Before reaching the WNBA, she built her reputation in the Korean Women's Basketball League with Asan Woori Bank and gained overseas experience in Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
Her international résumé made her an obvious fit for a competition built around global exposure.
Project B chief basketball officer and former WNBA star Alana Beard described Park as an exceptional representative of Korean basketball and a player who has consistently sought high-level competition around the world.
Project B wants to challenge the traditional basketball model
What makes Project B different is its attempt to turn an international basketball season into a traveling global event.
Earlier announcements outlined a circuit involving major international destinations, including Tokyo, where a 10-day tournament has been planned for March 26 through April 4, 2027. Each tournament is designed to contribute toward a season-long championship race.
That concept has generated considerable interest because it offers elite women's players another lucrative competitive platform outside the traditional WNBA season.
But it also faces a major test: Can a new league built around traveling tournaments, player ownership and superstar talent establish itself as a sustainable basketball competition?
That question remains unanswered.
Park arrives at Project B at a pivotal moment
Park's signing comes at an especially significant point in her career.
Just days ago, she was starring for South Korea at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, scoring 27 points in Korea's 99-81 opening-round victory over Nigeria. Korean media highlighted her performance as a major reason the team made a strong start to its campaign.
She is therefore entering Project B with momentum on both the international and professional stages.
Her WNBA experience with the Sparks has already elevated her profile beyond Korea, while her national-team performances have reinforced her importance to Korean basketball.
Now, Project B offers another opportunity to build that international reputation.
Seoul could become more than just a training camp
Project B's decision to begin its first training camp in Seoul is also strategically significant.
League co-founder and CEO Geoff Prentice said the decision reflects Project B's commitment to Korea and its belief that Asia can become a major center of basketball's global future.
For Korean fans, that could mean something bigger than simply watching Park Ji-hyun play overseas.
It could bring some of the world's best women's basketball players directly to Korea—and potentially make Seoul an important part of Project B's emerging global basketball map.
The next chapter could be much bigger
Park Ji-hyun has already gone from being a top Korean prospect to an overseas professional and then to the WNBA.
Now she is joining a league attempting to rewrite how international women's basketball is organized.
Project B has attracted recognizable stars, influential investors and former NBA and WNBA figures. But its biggest challenge will not be signing famous players—it will be proving that its global model can work over an entire season.
And with Park Ji-hyun now part of the project, the real question is whether Project B can turn its ambitious idea into the next major force in women's basketball.
That answer will begin to emerge when the league's global journey officially gets underway in 2027.