Charlotte Crown guard Jasmyne Roberts, right, backs down Jacksonville Waves forward Rennia Davis during the second half of the Upshot League inaugural game. Roberts scored 13 points off the bench to help Charlotte defeat the Jacksonville Waves 103-95 on May 15, 2026, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 22, 2026 at 3:44 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
The Upshot League announced its inaugural championship will be in Jacksonville at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Aug. 29.
The top two finishers in the regular season of the first-year women’s pro basketball league will advance to the Upshot League Championship.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
“We know that women’s sports fans want an experience, a connection, a real sense of belonging,” Upshot League Commissioner Donna Orender said Wednesday. “And, that’s exactly what all of us are working to create. … The weekend will bring together basketball, business, community and the extraordinary momentum surrounding women’s sports.”
The championship will tip off at 7 p.m. A coach’s clinic, kids clinic, conversation about the rise of women’s sports as well as fan experiences with women-owned businesses will be announced at a later date.
Lane of opportunity
Orender announced Wednesday that the league’s MVP award will be named after Ann Meyers Drysdale, a trailblazer who showcased what is possible on the court and in the front office.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The Upshot League is a four-team league with clubs in Jacksonville; Savannah, Georgia; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Charlotte, North Carolina. It plans to expand to Nashville, Tennessee, and Baltimore.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin overcame the odds to go from a NAIA basketball program in Texas to a two-time WNBA champion. Today, McWilliams-Franklin is the Upshot League’s vice president of basketball operations. She says the Upshot League provides opportunities for women in sports — whether it’s players, coaches, executives or team officials.
There are only 180 roster spots in the WNBA. Every year, there are draft picks who do not make rosters, not for a lack of talent, but for a lack of available roster spots.
The Upshot league was designed to provide an avenue for players who have professional talent to ply their trade in the United States, rather than traversing to Germany, Israel, Italy, Australia, Spain or Russia — all places where McWilliams-Franklin competed during her playing days.
There are 44 players in the Upshot League. They include former WNBA draft picks, like Jacksonville-native Rennia Davis as well as former collegiate stars like Diamond Johnson and Deja Kelly.
“I’m not saying that we’re there yet, but, we’re traveling the right path,” McWilliams-Franklin says. “That’s important for me, for our team, for our league, our players, our sponsors, our partners and those who chose to step with us in this journey.”
City of champions
Jacksonville Sports Foundation Executive Director Samantha Vance says the organization wants to be a part of the regional reputation as a sports destination city — at the youth, collegiate and professional level. Hosting championships is a way to do that.
In the last 12 months, Jacksonville has hosted the AAU Club and Primary National Track & Field Championships; the ASUN men’s and women’s basketball tournament; and the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state basketball tournament as well as its state track and field meet. At the professional level, the River City hosted a playoff contest in the Gainbridge Super League.
“We are seeing it play out in the nation and the world that there are expanding opportunities for women’s sports,” Vance said. “There is more positivity in sports. There are more opportunities for women and girls, and we are seeing more community around women in sports.”
Growing the game
Orender quipped that it may be up to Jacksonville Waves supporters to determine whether the championship game is a neutral site contest.
The Waves (17-4) are 10 games ahead of third-placed Greensboro (8-15) with 13 games to play.
The first-place Waves host Greensboro on Thursday afternoon. Orender and McWilliams-Franklin will not be there. Both women will be in Chicago for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.
The WNBA will celebrate its 30th anniversary through a series of events and activities.
McWilliams-Franklin won two WNBA titles during an on-court career that spanned from 1999 to 2012. Orender served as WNBA president between 2005 and 2010.
Their time in the W coincided with active suppression of women’s basketball coverage by an ESPN executive.
For Orender, Wednesday’s announcement, and this weekend’s celebration in Chicago, are tangible examples of the growth of women’s basketball.
