South Carolina women's basketball: LeLe Grissett joins new American professional league

Former Gamecock LeLe Grissett has signed on to play in a new professional women’s basketball league that begins play later this month.

Grissett is part of the inaugural group of players in the Upshot League. The Upshot League is a professional league based in the southeast. Investors include Cheryl Miller and Ann Meyers Drysdale. For the first season, there are teams in Charlotte, Greensboro, Savannah, and Jacksonville. Teams in Nashville and Baltimore are slated to join the league in 2027.

Grissett has been assigned to the Charlotte Crown. The Crown plays its home games in the Bojangles Coliseum. 

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball! 🏀

Other players who have signed to the new league include former Louisville star AD Durr, Reigan Richardson, Deja Kelly, Amiya Joyner, Zee Spearman, Khayla Pointer, Shyanne Sellers, Jessica Timmons, and former Spring Valley High and Francis Marion star Lauryn Taylor.

The league begins play on May 15. Games will be streamed on YouTube and Fubo TV.

Grissett won a national championship with South Carolina in 2022. She got to play a fifth season because of COVID, and finished her career as South Carolina’s leader in games played, and currently sits third on the career list. 

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For her career, Grissett averaged 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. She was best known for her energy and defense off the bench. Grissett was the sparkplug for the 2020 and 2021 teams, when she averaged over six points.

But she suffered a leg injury in the 2021 SEC Tournament that kept her out of the NCAA Tournament and the first month of the 2022 season. When she returned, she wasn’t as effective, but still helped win the national championship.

Since her time in Columbia, Grissett has played overseas, primarily in France, Luxembourg, and Lebanon.

NEW! Message board for South Carolina Women’s Basketball!