Sports Commentary
Women’s National Basketball Association All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded Unrivaled, a new women’s basketball 3-on-3 league which started its inaugural season earlier this Year. Collier and Stewart founded Unrivaled in 2023 and slowly started contracting players until the beginning of its first season this January. Many WNBA stars have decided to join Unrivaled, including Angel Reese, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu and many more. Unrivaled currently has six teams: Lanes BC, Lunar Owls BC, Mist BC, Phantom BC, Rose BC, and Vinyl BC. Teams were chosen in November by the coaches replacing the traditional draft. Teams are made up of six to seven players with forwards, guards and some centers.
Unrivaled was co-founded by WNBA athletes so that the women playing in the WNBA did not have to go overseas to play basketball in the off-season. Historically, professional women’s basketball has not paid enough for women to make a living solely off of it. Many players, including big stars, play overseas during the off-season, which can benefit their careers, but disrupt their personal lives. Unrivaled addresses this need so players no longer have to go overseas during the off-season but still have the ability to continue playing. Besides giving athletes the opportunity to continue to play professionally in the US during the off-season, Unrivaled aims to help players financially by remedying the wage gap between the NBA and WNBA.
All Unrivaled games are played in Miami, Florida at the Wayfair Arena. The arena is much different than a regular WNBA arena, seating only 850 people. The court is much smaller than a WNBA court at 49.2 feet by 72 feet compared to the WNBA courts’ 50 feet by 94 feet. The smaller arena allows for more intimate games and is also set up for media and content creation. The arena even houses an “athlete content creation hub” and glam room sponsored by Sephora. The facility was also given a $1.5 million extension to build a rest and recovery area for athletes. The league is committed to taking care of its athletes and fans while expanding the WNBA community.
Another noticeable difference between Unrivaled and the WNBA is timing. While the WNBA has four- 10 minute quarters, Unrivaled will have three- seven minute quarters. In Unrivaled, there will be three game nights in a week, with two games played each night.
Unrivaled is also hosting a 1-on-1 tournament for all of the players. For the tournament, each player will be seeded based on fan votes. The bracket is said to be released in early February and games will take place Feb. 10 – 14. The prize money for the tournament will be a total of $350,000. The winner will earn $200,000 and each club member of the winner will receive $10,000. The runner up will receive $50,000 and the two semi finalists that don’t make the finals will each receive $25,000. In addition to the tournament, Unrivaled players will earn a salary starting at $100,000. Salaries have been reported to be seven figures, including Caitlin Clark’s offer, which she declined.
Unrivaled is different from most professional sports leagues. It was designed by athletes for other athletes and fans that have been a part of the WNBA community for a while. So far, Unrivaled inaugural year has been off to a great start, and there’s much more to come. College basketball star Paige Bueckers was one of the first athletes to join Unrivaled, and fans can expect her to play in the league during the WNBA’s next off-season. Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum is another fan favorite who joined Unrivaled for its inaugural season, but had to back out for personal reasons. Leaving fans to suspect if she will return to Laces B.C. in the 2026 season and what’s next for Unrivaled.
