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Unrivaled Brings Big Money and Bigger Ambitions to Women’s Basketball

February 7, 2025

What do nine WTA titles, 28 gold medals, a two-time Women’s World Cup winner and NBA Championship bring together?

Unrivaled, a new women’s basketball league, has secured an estimated $35m in investment, backed by high-profile figures including Coco Gauff, Michael Phelps, Alex Morgan and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The funding represents a major step in increasing opportunities and visibility for women’s basketball.

Founded by WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled was launched as an off-season alternative, providing a platform to showcase talent and grow the women’s game.

Unrivaled is setting records for highest average salary in women’s sport history

Despite the ongoing challenges of sponsorship and funding in women’s sports, major brands such as Under Armour, Miller Lite, Samsung Galaxy, and Sephora have all signed partnership agreements. The original players, all 36 of them, will have a piece of Unrivaled with them as they will receive equity ownerships, on top of their salary ranging more than $220 thousand.

The introduction of this new league follows one of the biggest seasons in the WNBA history and the history of women’s sports. In comparison to 2023 television ratings, increased by 170% with an average of 1.2 million viewers for the regular season games. The two opening games of Unrivaled averaged 312 thousand with a peak of 364 thousand views.

The inaugural season began on 17 January, games were broadcast with TNT Sports after securing a multi-year broadcasting deal, which has also invested in the league. 

Warner Bros’ streaming service, Max, is broadcasting the games as part of a six-year deal reportedly worth $100m, while international viewers can watch live on YouTube.

A faster, high scoring, more exciting game

Rather than the traditional five-on-five format, Unrivaled features a three-on-three style of basketball, which came to prominence after its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Instead of the standard half-court setup, Unrivaled has introduced a smaller full court that still uses Guard, Forward and Center. The shot clock has been shortened to 18-seconds, with a 12-second reset. However, players are allowed only one free throw attempt. Depending on where the foul occurred, the free throw can be worth two to three points. The game consists of three seven-minute periods, with a fourth period played until a team reaches a target score—11 points more than the highest score at the end of the third period.

The Unrivaled league consists of six teams: Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose, and Vinyl. All teams share a single venue, Unrivaled Wayfair Stadium in Miami, under a multi-year partnership agreement.

MVPs, Olympic gold medallists and Championship winners, is the league truly unrivaled?

Four teams—Mist, Phantom, Vinyl and Team Rose—are battling for third place, each sitting on a 2-4 record.

With a depleted six-player roster, Team Phantom has had a tough start to the season, struggling with injuries. Marina Mabrey remains out with a calf injury, while Natasha Cloud has returned from a knee issue.

Despite the setbacks, Phantom’s experienced, guard-heavy lineup has thrived on its versatility. After just four games, Sabrina Ionescu leads the league in assists, averaging 6.3 per game.

Coming off a four game losing streak, team Vinyl still has strength with the teammate pairs from Sparks and Dream. Forward Dearica Hamby has been crucial for points with a 21 game average and 10 rebounds, the third most in the league. 

Perimeter versatility will be crucial in Unrivaled open style of play, giving Rose an advantage with their standout trio of Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper and Brittney Sykes. With a guard-heavy lineup, they are set to be a strong defensive force.

Two-time champion, power forward and co-founder Breanna Stewart is one of six players on Team Mist, who have built momentum with back-to-back wins.

After a difficult 2024 season and a recent transfer from the Seattle Storm to the Las Vegas Aces, Jewell Loyd has made an impressive start to her Unrivaled campaign just shy of the top 10 player stats list.

The Laces are in the hunt for top spot with a 4-2 record, built on strong defense and sharp three-point shooting. They have three of the league’s top 10 three-point shooters—Stefanie Dolson, Kayla McBride and Tiffany Hayes. McBride has been particularly dominant, averaging 27.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The challenge now is maintaining their momentum.

Sitting at the top with an unbeaten 6-0 record are the Lunar Owls, led by Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier. Last season’s WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Collier led the league in scoring with an average of 29.3 points per game.

Another exciting participant is Cameron Brink. The Stanford alumna was the second overall pick in last year’s WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She had a promising rookie season and Olympic aspirations before suffering an ACL injury in June. Since then, she has been recovering from the career-threatening setback, and to the surprise of many fans, she signed with Unrivaled’s Lunar Owls.

While Brink’s return to the court is highly anticipated, she remains on the road to full recovery, leaving the Owls to be the only team with five players.

Where is the 2024 Rookie of the Year?

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There is a notable absence from the star-studded lineups; many have speculated about Caitlin Clark’s involvement, but she put the rumours to rest in an interview with Time magazine: “This year is just not the best for me to join the league.”

Clark reportedly turned down a million-dollar deal but left the door open for future participation.

As fans await March Madness and the start of the WNBA season, Unrivaled is filling the gap.

To raise the stakes, the league has announced a one-on-one tournament beginning on 10 February, with a prize pool of $350 thousand. Fans will vote on player seedings, with 30 players split into four pods to balance the talents and strengths. 

The next game is on Friday, 7 February, at 7.15pm EST (12.15am GMT), featuring Lunar Owls versus Phantoms, followed an hour later by Rose versus Mist.

 

Author

  • Sheridan Lambrook

    Sheridan Lambrook is an international sports journalist that covers both the American sports she grew up watching and motorsports. More than the play by plays Lambrook seeks to tell the story beyond the track or pitch. Her most recent creation is a written series called "Chequered Out" that shares the experiences of women in racing that are often overlooked. Sheridan Lambrook can be reached at sheridanleelambrook@gmail.com

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