Special Edition: Hoops with a side of luxury

After a monumental 2024 WNBA season, Unrivaled is ready to take center stage in the offseason. It’s not unusual for women hoopers to compete in other leagues during their time off — in fact, most players seek out additional playing opportunities as a way to keep their skills sharp and supplement their W earnings.

• Why? Well, international salaries often dwarf WNBA pay, making playing overseas a lucrative option. Before her controversial 2022 arrest, Brittney Griner’s contract in Russia paid her approximately $1M a season, more than quadruple her domestic deal.

The trend of competing domestically in the offseason has been on the rise in recent years thanks to Athletes Unlimited (AU) Basketball, along with slight increases in WNBA salaries and brand endorsements for players.

• However, this shift has been fast tracked with the introduction of Unrivaled, giving the best players in the world an opportunity to compete on American soil during the W’s break.

Aside from inking the game’s brightest stars (more on them below), Unrivaled also has plenty of cash — and money talks. The league has a salary pool of over $8M, putting their average salary at $222,222, approximately $8K more than the max annual contract in the WNBA.

• Not only does Unrivaled boast the highest average salaries in women’s sports history, players also receive equity in the league when they ink their deals.

• This underscores a major reason why Collier and Stewart founded Unrivaled: to ensure women athletes are making the money they deserve — now and in the future. Mic drop.

You might be wondering: Where’s all this cash coming from? Great question. Between a pair of successful funding rounds and an array of sponsorship deals, Unrivaled is already proving to be an incredibly popular investment opportunity for individuals and brands alike…all before tip-off.

The league raised $35M (!!!) across those two rounds, with investments from superstar athletes — like tennis icon Coco Gauff and now-retired USWNT superstar Alex Morgan — business moguls, including Fenway Sports Group partner Linda Henry and Avenue Sports Fund CEO Marc Lasry, and many, many more.

Then there’s the sponsorship deals. Sephora is one of the most-recent league sponsors, signing a multi-year deal at the beginning of the month, with additional partners like Samsung, Under Armour, Ticketmaster, Ally, and Wilson (just to name a few) also getting in on the action. No gloss-ing over that.

• Plus, Unrivaled boasts a multi-year deal with TNT Sports that will further amplify the league’s reach by providing exclusive coverage with a superstar broadcast team, anchored by women’s hoops legend Candace Parker. Nothing but net.

Now let’s talk hoops. Unrivaled features 36 players total, with six teams of six. The coaches for all six teams worked together to assign players to squads without knowing which team would be theirs, ultimately ensuring each roster would be well-rounded and fair.

• The six clubs are called Laces Basketball Club (BC), Lunar Owls BC, Mist BC, Phantom BC, Rose BC, and Vinyl BC. Whether your passion is music, animals, or plants, there’s something for everyone.

As for the rules, it’s not quite the 3x3 we saw at the Olympics, but it’s also different from the typical 5-on-5 version of the sport. Unrivaled is full-court 3-on-3 hoops, with games consisting of three seven-minute quarters and a fourth quarter that’s played to a “winning score.” Notably, the court is compressed — it’s only 70 feet long compared to the traditional 94-foot hardwood.

• Collier has called it “normal basketball with more spacing,” which will give players more opportunities to showcase their skill. And you thought their bags were deep already.

The season will run for eight weeks with each team playing 14 regular-season games on Monday, Friday, and Saturday nights at a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in Miami. The top four teams will advance to the postseason, which tips off on March 16th with the championship slated for the next day.

🦉 Napheesa Collier, Lunar Owls BC: Now adding “businesswoman” to her résumé, there’s literally nothing the Minnesota Lynx star can’t do. She’s the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, MVP runner-up, and an Olympic gold medalist — and that’s just in the last year.

• Other team members: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, Shakira Austin, and Cameron Brink.

☁️ Breanna Stewart, Mist BC: Not to be outdone by her cofounder, Stewie’s game is just as all-encompassing: She averaged 20.4 points and 8.5 rebounds to lead the NY Liberty to their first-ever title last season. Add up those blocks, steals, and broken ankles because Stewie does it all.

• Other team members: Jewell Loyd, DiJonai Carrington, Courtney Vandersloot, Rickea Jackson, and Aaliyah Edwards.

👟 Alyssa Thomas, Laces BC: There’s a theme when it comes to the best 3v3 players — they’re versatile. And Connecticut Sun star AT is nothing if not a Jill of all trades. A triple-double machine, she’ll guard the other team’s best player and lead her squad in scoring while grabbing every rebound in sight.

• Other team members: Jackie Young, Tiffany Hayes, Kayla McBride, Kate Martin, and Stefanie Dolson.

👻 Sabrina Ionescu, Phantom BC: Expect Liberty sharpshooter Ionescu to hit logo threes (which will look more like half-court threes in Miami) like it’s her day job…while also finding one of her hot-handed teammates to do the same. Let’s just hope that thumb holds up.

• Other team members: Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud, and Katie Lou Samuelson.

🌹 Angel Reese, Rose BC: This squad is tough and ready to bloom, especially with the rebounding queen back on the court after a wrist injury ended her stellar W debut. It’s always been both for this fashionista, so expect her to slay the pregame runway and hold it down in the paint.

• Other team members: Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Brittney Sykes, Lexie Hull, and Azurá Stevens.

🎵 Rhyne Howard, Vinyl BC: The Atlanta Dream superstar enters the league with a secret weapon: Experience. Howard won a 3x3 bronze in Paris with Team USA (and Unrivaled teammate Dearica Hamby) last August, which could give the Vinyl a slight edge. Turn it up.

• Other team members: Hamby, Arike Ogunbowale, Aliyah Boston, Jordin Canada, and Rae Burrell.