
With the popularity of women’s sports on the rise in the last few years, basketball has seen the biggest surge in popularity. From the college level to the WNBA, viewership has been on the rise as new stars have garnered nationwide recognition. As the WNBA is seeing its most success in years, a new league has come up, giving U.S. players an off-season alternative to the W that does not involve traveling overseas.
The new Unrivaled League, a 3v3 women’s professional basketball league, was founded in 2023 by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league has already received over $35 million in funding with investments from big names including Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympian Michael Phelps, Carmelo Anthony, and Steve Nash amongst the investors.
Partners for the league include Under Armor providing uniforms, Sprite, Bodyarmor, Icyhot, and Samsung. Warner Bros. Discovery will air the league’s inaugural season on TNT, TruTV, and streaming service Max.
Launching with six different teams, the league’s eight-week season will begin in Miami, Florida on January 17th, running through March 17th, with the playoffs taking place on March 16th–17th. Unrivaled will hold a 1v1 single tournament from February 10th to 14th.
The six teams (each featuring six players) for Unrivaled are Laces BC, Lunar Owls BC, Mist BC, Phantom BC, Rose BC, and Vinyl BC. Many notable WNBA players are amongst the 36 players that will be in the league. Notable names include New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Seattle Storm guards Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith, Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, and founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink, who is currently out recovering from a torn ACL, has also signed with the league and will play in the 2026 season.
The league already has big plans for the future, with UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers signing an NIL deal with the league that will see her join the league in 2026. The league also expects teams to play games across the United States during their 2026 season.
Unrivaled looks to separate itself from not only the WNBA but other leagues and tournaments as well. With the 3v3 Women’s Olympic basketball games taking place on only half the court, Unrivaled will take on a condensed full court. Unrivaled games will have three seven-minute quarters, with the fourth quarter having a winning score. The winning score will be by adding 11 points to the leading team’s score heading into the fourth quarter. The league will also feature no overtime.
Aiming to be a player’s league, league president Alex Bazzell said the player’s average salary should be around $222,222, nearly $75,000 more than the WNBA’s average salary of $147,000. The players will also many amenities from the league including housing provided during the season and both gym and practice facilities provided by the league. The 36 players will also receive equity ownership of the league.
Opening night on January 17th will see a doubleheader on TNT as the Lunar Owls BC will play Mist BC followed by Rose BC playing Vinyl BC.
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