Special Edition: Carrying that crown

Before we dig into all the hoopla to come, let’s take a look back at Unrivaled’s stellar 2025 debut. Unrivaled was launched in part to provide hoopers with a domestic playing option during the WNBA offseason, a welcome addition to the (increasingly crowded) women’s basketball landscape.

• Historically, top WNBA talent supplemented their salaries by playing internationally, but Unrivaled offers stars the opportunity to play stateside. Tap those ruby slippers.

And Unrivaled saw incredible success in its inaugural season:

1️⃣ The demand is there: Fans are hungry for hoops, and Unrivaled’s unique full-court take on 3-on-3 (notably different from the Olympic 3x3 style) is captivating. Add in the thrilling Elam Ending and a spicy midseason 1-on-1 tourney, and it’s basketball at its absolute best.

2️⃣ Players are invested…literally. Not only do athletes earn an average of $220K for the nine-week season, they also boast equity stake in the league, explicitly tying them to Unrivaled’s long-term financial success. Everyone wins.

3️⃣ League leadership is responsive to fans and players. Played in a small-capacity setting, the Unrivaled fan experience is one of the best in the biz. Meanwhile, the league has addressed valid player criticisms ahead of its second season, like leveraging a player relief pool and eliminating back-to-back games.

The emerging league’s unprecedented rise happened faster than expected — and that’s resulted in two new teams (and 12 additional players), four gamenights per week instead of three, and an inaugural two-game “Tour Stop” in Philadelphia this season. Buckets, indeed.

☝️ First things first: Like Unrivaled’s inaugural campaign, rosters were decided via a draft…with one major change: Last year’s playoff teams could protect two players, while non-playoff teams protected one each. And that’s on shaking it up.

• Now for the team breakdown. You already know there are eight squads, aka basketball clubs (BC), so here’s each roster’s not-so-secret superpower.

🌬️ Breeze BC: Headlined by a former intern — a little someone named Paige Bueckers — Breeze are young, talented, and undeniably the future of women’s hoops. No pressure.

🐝 Hive BC: Led by Kelsey Mitchell and Natisha Hiedeman, these speedsters are poised to swarm the opposition. Expect nothing less than a defensive masterclass.

👟 Laces BC: Any team featuring the Engine (aka Alyssa Thomas) is a bona fide title contender, and the ever-evolving Jackie Young is, ahem, lacing ’em up again, too. Talk about a one-two punch.

🦉 Lunar Owls BC: Without her partner-in-hoops, the injured Collier, Skylar Diggins is on a revenge mission after last year’s regular-season top dogs suffered a shocking semifinal exit.

🌧️ Mist BC: The new-look Mist only return the iconic Stewart from last year’s roster. But that doesn’t mean they lack chemistry: Five hoopers have played together in some capacity in the W.

👻 Phantom BC: Boasting Kelsey Plum, Natasha Cloud, and Aliyah Boston, no squad balances sass and skill better than Phantom. Come for the trash talk; stay for the deep bags.

🌹 Rose BC: With four of the six players from last year’s squad back in green, the defending champs are ready to run it back. Truly blooming where they were planted.

🎶 Vinyl BC: Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard’s 3x3 Olympic gold medal is a testament to the dynamic duo’s aptitude for the small-sided game. Turn it up.

You know the feeling that makes you love sports? That electric buzz before tip‑off, the don’t‑talk‑to‑me‑right‑now focus, and the thrill of watching the best of the best: That’s Unrivaled.

• Every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the world’s top hoopers hit the hardwood — live and unstoppable — on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.

And today’s opening day slate is absolute fire:

🌧️ Mist BC at 🐝 Hive BC — 1 p.m. ET — truTV

🎶 Vinyl BC at 👟 Laces BC — 2:15 p.m. ET — truTV

🤝 Hydrate, refuel, and reset

🦉 Lunar Owls BC at 🌹 Rose BC — 8 p.m. ET — TNT

👻 Phantom BC at 🌬️ Breeze BC — 9:15 p.m. ET — TNT

That nostalgic sprint to the couch after a commercial break? Yeah, that’s so back. Because with basketball this good, you can’t afford to miss a minute.

⭐ The influx of starpower: This year’s cohort of Unrivaled debutants includes some big names — the aforementioned Bueckers, Plum, and Mitchell scream superstar, but rookie sensations Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, and Dominique Malonga are giving “it girl,” too.

👀 The inaugural Free Throw Challenge: Never one to shy away from competition (and cash), Unrivaled will award $50K to the player with the highest free throw percentage after five games.

• Think you know who has that clutch gene? Shoot your shot: You could win two courtside tickets to Unrivaled’s stop in Philly, plus a cash prize to get you there.

💅 The arena upgrades: As if last season’s state-of-the-art facility wasn’t enough, Unrivaled is raising the bar once again. They’ve added 15K square feet of player-first facilities, including a second practice court, and 150 seats to bring capacity to 1K.

📈 The metrics: A big reason why Unrivaled expanded so quickly was because it outperformed all expectations — from booming viewership to sold-out merch — in its debut season. Supply meet demand.

🌶️ The WNBA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations: The elephant in every women’s basketball room, CBA negotiations between the WNBA and its players’ union will continue throughout the Unrivaled season. There’s no milk that can mellow out this spice.

• With most of the W’s top players in one place, Unrivaled offers a unique plot twist ahead of the upcoming January 9th CBA deadline, one that ultimately benefits the players. Watching, waiting…

🚀 Women’s basketball has leveled up — and so has our coverage. Every Friday during the Unrivaled season, we’re dropping a newsletter dedicated to the league that’s revolutionizing women’s hoops.

Here’s what you can expect:

📈 Breakdowns of Unrivaled’s spiciest games

⭐ Deep dives on the league’s brightest stars

🔥 Hot takes and the stats that back them up

🏀 If you love hoops when the stakes are high and the stories run deep, opt in now. Go on, be part of The GIST’s Unrivaled era.