Kevin Durant And Jayson Tatum Invest In Women's Volleyball League

Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum are among the famous faces investing in a new women's volleyball league. League One Volleyball, which is set to begin play in Fall 2024, received $35 million in its latest round of fundraising. Durant and Tatum were joined by celebrity backers such as Amy Schumer in more than doubling the league's first funding round.

The league, which features a number of Olympians as players, will begin its first preseason in November 2024. It will then run its first regular season between January and April 2025. Six teams based in Atlanta, Houston, Madison, Omaha, Salt Lake City, and another location to be named later will compete in the league. It's one of three new pro volleyball leagues that are set to begin playing next year. The Athletes Unlimited Volleyball league will be a more unique tournament format without set rosters. Meanwhile, the Pro Volleyball Federation will be a six-team league and main rival to the LOVB.

Nebraska Makes Volleyball History

Furthermore, the announcement of the major funding goal, and the support of famous athletes like Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum comes weeks after one of the most impactful moments in the sport's history. In late August, the University of Nebraska broke the record for the highest attendance at a women's sporting event with their open-air "volleyball day". After months of preparation, the Huskers hosted a volleyball doubleheader on a specially constructed court at Memorial Stadium. Additionally, the stadium typically serves as the home of the school's football team. The official attendance was announced at 92,003. That broke the record set by a Women's Champions League soccer match in April 2022. The previous US record was the 1999 Women's World Cup Final between the USA and China.

"It's incredible. I don't have enough words to describe it," Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson said. "We were walking out of the tunnel after the second set, and we heard on the speaker we had just broken the world record. Everyone was trying to stay locked in, but we were also so excited. I can't describe how grateful I am to be a part of it." Meanwhile, the Huskers have started the 2023 season 13-0. Furthermore, they are currently ranked #2 in the country behind Big Ten rivals Wisconsin.

[via]