Lexie Brown named chairperson of Basketball Player Executive Committee

As it prepares for its third Championship Season in 2024, Athletes Unlimited Basketball today announced that Lexie Brown will be the new Chairperson of the Player Executive Committee. Brown succeeds Sydney Colson, who completed a successful two-year term as Chairperson and has agreed to stay on the Player Executive Committee for a third year. Kirby Burkholder enters the second year of her two-year term on the committee, while Rebecca Harris will join for the first time. A fifth member of the committee will be named at a later date.

In addition, Megan Perry has joined Athletes Unlimited as its new Director of Basketball. In this role, Perry will work closely with the Player Executive Committee and Athletes Unlimited to oversee and execute all league operations both on and off the court. Perry, a former executive with the NBA and WNBA and broadcaster for Bally Sports, CBS Sports Network and ESPN, was most recently the Vice President of Executive Engagement & Women’s Initiatives for the Sports Innovation Lab. After joining the NBA’s Team Marketing & Business Operations division, Perry transitioned to the WNBA President’s Office, where she managed WNBA player personnel and oversaw the WNBA scouting and talent evaluation in preparation for Draft, and was also an integral part of the planning and development of the WNBA Executive Player’s Committee, which formed to amplify the player’s voices in the business planning process.

Season two of Athletes Unlimited Basketball concluded in March in thrilling fashion, as NaLyssa Smith claimed the championship with an Athletes Unlimited-record 50 points in the season’s final game in Dallas. Lexie Hull was named Defensive Player of the Year, while CC Andrews received the Teammate of the Year award presented by WeThink. A third season of basketball will take place in early 2024. Details regarding timing and location will be announced at a later date.

Each Athletes Unlimited league has a Player Executive Committee (PEC), which is the backbone of the organization’s success. Each PEC meets weekly with Athletes Unlimited staff to work on all aspects of the league, from identifying players to add to the roster to establishing the rules and scoring system.

Brown is currently playing with the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, following another successful Athletes Unlimited season earlier this year. She first joined the PEC after a successful inaugural Athletes Unlimited campaign that saw her claim a spot on the first Athletes Unlimited All-Defensive Team. Burkholder finished the 2023 season with 2,986 leaderboard points. She has played professionally in Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Puerto Rico and Poland, and is the seventh-leading scorer in James Madison history.

Colson finished her second Athletes Unlimited season with 3,014 leaderboard points. In 2022, Colson recorded a top-15 finish on the Athletes Unlimited leaderboard and then helped the Las Vegas Aces win the WNBA Championship. She was a three-time team captain at Texas A&M and led the Aggies to a pair of Big 12 titles.

A two-year veteran of Athletes Unlimited, Harris finished the 2023 campaign with 2,414 leaderboard points. Harris has played professionally overseas in the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Turkey and Ukraine and in the GWBA for the St. Louis Surge and Flint Monarchs.

“I’m so excited to step into this new role as the chair of the PEC. Athletes Unlimited has completely changed my life and I’m looking forward to helping build this league into something special,” Brown said. “Season 1 and 2 were incredible and it’s been amazing to see the continued success of our players on and off the court. I’m looking forward to this opportunity and the future.”

“I’m thrilled to join the Athletes Unlimited community. Basketball has been the common thread in my journey and I’ve always been passionate about empowering athletes and growing the game,” Perry said. “The opportunity to serve this emerging league is incredibly exciting and rewarding. I’m looking forward to sharing my expertise and collaborating with the PEC to shape the future of the league and grow the game.”

Jon Patricof, CEO and Co-Founder of Athletes Unlimited, said: “On behalf of Athletes Unlimited, I first want to thank Natasha Cloud and Ty Young for the roles they played in helping us launch and establish Athletes Unlimited Basketball. Athletes Unlimited Basketball would not exist today without their efforts. Thanks also to Syd Colson for her incredible work as chair of the Player Executive Committee, and for continuing to serve. Moving forward, we are confident that under the leadership of Lexie Brown and our new PEC, along with the basketball know-how and connections that Megan Perry is bringing to Athletes Unlimited, that our Basketball league is poised for continued growth and success.”