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Unrivaled (basketball)

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Unrivaled
Upcoming season or competition:
Current sports event 2025 Unrivaled season
SportBasketball (three-on-three)
FoundedJuly 6, 2023; 18 months ago (2023-07-06)
FounderNapheesa Collier
Breanna Stewart
First season2025
PresidentAlex Bazzell
CommissionerMicky Lawler
No. of teams6
CountriesUnited States
HeadquartersMiami, Florida
TV partner(s)
Official websiteUnrivaled

Unrivaled is a professional three-on-three women's basketball league based in the United States.

History

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The league was founded in 2023 by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, in part to allow WNBA players to play domestically and to bypass complications from the WNBA's prioritization rule for players who choose to play overseas in the WNBA offseason. Unrivaled's inaugural season is slated to begin on January 17, 2025, in Miami, Florida[1] with plans for the 2026 season to have games played across the United States.[2]

The league announced Stewart as the first signed player on July 9, 2024.[3]

Rules and regulations

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Games are played on a full court with two ends, and consist of three seven-minute periods followed by a "winning score" fourth period played under Elam Ending conditions.[4][a] In Unrivaled's implementation, 11 points are added to the leading team's (or tied teams') score at the end of the third period. The game then continues with no game clock but with an active shot clock, and the first team to reach or exceed the "winning score" wins.[6]

The court is a compressed full court billed as 72 ft long by 49.2 ft wide. The width is slightly less than that of courts in the WNBA, 49.2 ft vs 50 ft,[4] and the length is also noticeably shorter, 72 ft instead of 94 ft (29 m) of college and professional competitions or the high school standard of 84 ft (26 m).[7] In metric terms, it is identical to two FIBA 3x3 courts spliced into a single full court—22 meters long by 15 meters wide.

The shot clock in Unrivaled is shortened to 18 seconds for full possession and to 12 seconds for resets.[4][8]

Another change made in Unrivaled to free throws resulting from personal fouls. Players will only take one free throw after being fouled, earning 2 points if fouled on a two-point shot or 3 points for a three-point shot.[8] Free throws earned when fouled on a made basket, will still just be worth one point as in the WNBA.[8] Players will foul out after six personal fouls. However, if a team only has 3 remaining available players, no one will foul out.[8] Instead, the player left on the court with six personal fouls will be given a technical foul and give the opposing team a 1-point free throw opportunity.[8]

Teams

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On October 24, the inaugural six team names were announced.[9] Teams do not have geographic connections, although the branding was created with a consideration for potential future sale and relocation of the teams.[9] The rosters for each team are decided by a selection committee that sorts players based on their position and skill level.[1][10] Each team will have a head coach, an assistant coach, and a team manager.[11]

Teams and head coaches

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2025 Unrivaled teams
Team Joined Head coach
Laces BC 2025 Andrew Wade
Lunar Owls BC 2025 DJ Sackmann
Mist BC 2025 Phil Handy
Phantom BC 2025 Adam Harrington
Rose BC 2025 Nola Henry
Vinyl BC 2025 Teresa Weatherspoon

Players

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Key
Player (in bold text) Denotes wildcard selection
Player (in italic text) Denotes will not appear in league until 2026 season
Team Rosters [12]
Teams Players
Pod A Pod B Pod C Pod D Pod E Pod F
Laces BC Jackie Young Tiffany Hayes Kayla McBride Kate Martin Alyssa Thomas Stefanie Dolson
Lunar Owls BC Skylar Diggins-Smith Courtney Williams Allisha Gray Cameron Brink[b] Napheesa Collier Shakira Austin
Mist BC Jewell Loyd Courtney Vandersloot DiJonai Carrington Rickea Jackson Breanna Stewart Aaliyah Edwards
Phantom BC Sabrina Ionescu Natasha Cloud Marina Mabrey Katie Lou Samuelson[15] Satou Sabally Brittney Griner
Rose BC Chelsea Gray Brittney Sykes Kahleah Copper Lexie Hull Angel Reese Azurá Stevens
Vinyl BC Arike Ogunbowale Jordin Canada Rhyne Howard Rae Burrell Aliyah Boston Dearica Hamby

Business

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Finances and sponsorships

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In May 2024, it was announced that John Skipper, a former ESPN president, and David Levy, a former Turner president, had invested in Unrivaled and would be at the helm of the league's media rights and sponsorship sales.[1][5] Other notable early investors include Koby Altman, Carmelo Anthony, Geno Auriemma, Moira Forbes, Desiree Gruber, Tre Jones, Tyus Jones, Ashton Kutcher, Alex Morgan, Steve Nash, Megan Rapinoe, Richard and Ann Sarnoff, Dan Rosensweig, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Michelle Wie West.[1][5][16] Also in May 2024, Unrivaled announced that they had closed their seed funding.[16] In December 2024, the league announced that their Series A round had closed with a new total capital of $35 million and included new investors such as Dawn Staley, JuJu Watkins, Michael and Nicole Phelps, Rip Hamilton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.[17][18] In January 2025, Coco Gauff also announced her investment in Unrivaled.[19]

In July 2024, Ally Financial was announced as Unrivaled's first and founding brand partner.[20][21] In December 2024, Under Armour was announced as the league's "official uniform partner and performance outfitter."[22] Under Armour will provide performance apparel and accessories and also provide players without conflicting brand deals access to their footwear line and opportunity to create custom merchandise.[22]

Unrivaled Partners and Sponsors
Company Joined Role Ref.
Ally Financial July 2024 Founding Brand Partner and Jersey Sponsor [20][23]
TNT Sports October 2024 Exclusive Media Rights Partner [24]
Mediapro November 2024 Production and Hosting Partner [25]
State Farm Presenting Sponsor for 2025 Club Selection Show
Home and Auto Insurance Partner 		[26]
Wilson Sporting Goods December 2024 Official Ball Manufacturer [27]
Under Armour Uniform Partner and Performance Outfitter [22]
Ticketmaster Official Ticketing Partner
Miller Lite Official Beer Partner [28]
Vistaprint January 2025 Official Print and Design Partner [29]
Sephora Official Beauty Partner [30]
Samsung Official Technology and Presenting Partner [31]
IcyHot Official Recovery Partner [32]
Sprite Presenting Partner of 2025 1v1 Tournament [33]
BODYARMOR Official Sports Drink [33]
Wayfair Official Home Furnishing Partner
Namesake of Unrivaled 2025 Arena 		[34]
Morgan Stanley [35]

Player salaries, revenue, and amenities

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Unrivaled will offer players in the league contract opportunities to receive the highest average salary in U.S. women's professional sports and a minimum six-figure salary.[16][36] In December 2024 the president of Unrivaled, Alex Bazzell, announced that the league's total salary pool for the 2025 season was $8 million.[37][c] The winner of the 2025 1v1 mid-season tournament will earn a minimum of $250,000.[38][39]

Additionally to create an athlete-centric and player-owned league, Unrivaled will offer the inaugural players equity in the league for at least the first year[5] with an "equity pool that will vest over a four-year period."[40]

For the 2025 season, players lived in a Miami apartment building (about five minutes away from the main facility) with access to gym and practice facilities paid for by the league.[37][41]

Name, image, likeness

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In August, it was announced that Paige Bueckers had signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Unrivaled, with plans for Bueckers to make her Unrivaled debut in the 2026 season.[d][43] In December 2024, Unrivaled announced that Flau'jae Johnson also signed a similar deal to Bueckers' with the league.[44]

Unrivaled leadership

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Alex Bazzell, a renowned basketball skills coach and Collier's husband, is the first and current president of Unrivaled.[16] In June 2024, Micky Lawler, a former Women's Tennis Association president, was named the commissioner of the league.[45][46] On November 11, 2024, Clare Duwelius (former general manager of the Minnesota Lynx) was announced as executive vice president and general manager of the league and Luke Cooper, the president of basketball operations.[47]

Broadcasting

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The 2025 season is being aired on TNT and TruTV, and streamed on Max in the United States.[48]

Notes

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  1. ^ This differs from FIBA 3x3 basketball competitions, which use a half-court and a single 10-minute period, with the possibility of overtime.[5]
  2. ^ Brink signed a multiyear deal with the Lunar Owls in December 2024, effectively filling their 2025 wildcard slot.[13] However, Brink will not appear in league until the 2026 season due to injury.[14]
  3. ^ making the average salary per player around $222,222
  4. ^ At the time of signing, Bueckers had two more years of NCAA eligibility. She was expected to end her college career after the 2024–25 season and make her Unrivaled debut after the 2025 WNBA season.[42]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Negley, Cassandra (May 30, 2024). "Unrivaled basketball league set to feature serious salaries and has the backing of some major names". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. ^ Nelson, Jenn. "Unrivaled League Surpasses Financial Projections, Expands Roster To 36". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  3. ^ @Unrivaledwbb (July 9, 2024). "STEWIE IS UNRIVALED 👑 1/30 ✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b c @Unrivaledwbb (January 17, 2025). "The stage is set! Here are the rules!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ a b c d "Former ESPN and Turner Chiefs Team Up to Bring 'Unrivaled' Women's Basketball League to Market". The Hollywood Reporter. May 30, 2024. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Andrews, Kendra (January 15, 2025). "What is Unrivaled? Rules, rosters for new basketball league". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Castillo, Jarrod (October 26, 2024). "What is 'Unrivaled' basketball league? Rules, teams and players taking part". The Mirror. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Maloney, Jack (January 17, 2025). "What are the rules of the new Unrivaled basketball league? How the 3-on-3 games will work". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Unrivaled unveils team names, branding". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  10. ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "There's a selection committee that splits the teams by position & skill..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "Every team will have a head coach, assistant and a team manager" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Mcgregor, Greg (November 28, 2024). "Unrivaled rosters 2024: Complete draft results, team-by-team picks for new basketball league". sportingnews.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  13. ^ Grausz, Dylan (December 17, 2024). "Los Angeles Sparks' Cameron Brink to join Unrivaled, Former Stanford Teammate". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  14. ^ Zucker, Joseph (December 17, 2024). "Cameron Brink Joins Unrivaled Basketball League; Will Debut in 2026 amid Injury Rehab". The Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Glenesk, Matthew (December 20, 2024). "A third Indiana Fever player signs up to play in Unrivaled, new 3x3 offseason league". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d Rizzo, Lillian (May 30, 2024). "New basketball league Unrivaled lands star-studded investor lineup, aims to pay highest average salary in women's pro league sports". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  17. ^ @Unrivaledwbb (December 16, 2024). "We at Unrivaled are so incredibly grateful to our stellar investors for their contribution to the league 🩵💜" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Zucker, Joseph (December 16, 2024). "Giannis, Michael Phelps, JuJu Watkins Among Investors in Unrivaled Basketball League". The Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  19. ^ Hadley, Taylyn (January 6, 2025). "Coco Gauff Invests in Unrivaled Basketball League, Hopes to 'Uplift Women's Sports'". The Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Unrivaled Scores With Ally Financial, the League's First and Founding Partner". PRNewswire (Press release). July 19, 2024. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Pelit, Asli (July 19, 2024). "Ally Becomes Founding Partner of Women's 3-on-3 League Unrivaled". Sportico. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Fonrauge, Gabrielle (December 10, 2024). "Women's basketball league Unrivaled signs uniform deal with Under Armour". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  23. ^ Pelit, Asli (July 19, 2024). "Ally Becomes Founding Partner of Women's 3-on-3 League Unrivaled". Sportico. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  24. ^ "TNT Sports and Unrivaled Reach Multi-Year Media Partnership Beginning in January 2025". Unrivaled. October 16, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  25. ^ "Unrivaled Partners with Mediapro North America to Create One-Stop-Shop in Miami for Inaugural Season". Unrivaled. November 13, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  26. ^ Young, Grant (November 18, 2024). "Fans Suspect Unrivaled Sponsorship Could Forecast Caitlin Clark Involvement". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  27. ^ "Unrivaled Announces Partnership with Wilson". Unrivaled. December 3, 2024. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  28. ^ @Unrivaledwbb (December 17, 2024). "We are happy to officially announce Miller Lite as our Official Beer Partner for the 2025 inaugural season! 🍻👑" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ "Unrivaled Announces VistaPrint as Presenting Partner of the Mist Basketball Club and the League's Official Print and Design Partner". Unrivaled. January 2, 2025. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  30. ^ Grant, Shawn (January 4, 2025). "Unrivaled Partners with Sephora as Exclusive Beauty Sponsor". The Source. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  31. ^ "Samsung Galaxy Continues to Push Boundaries – Becoming the Presenting and Official Technology Partner of Unrivaled" (Press release). Samsung News. January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  32. ^ "Icy Hot Signs on as Official Recovery Partner of Unrivaled" (Press release). PR Newswire. January 14, 2025. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  33. ^ a b Friend, Tom (January 15, 2025). "Unrivaled adds Sprite, BodyArmor as sponsors ahead of launch". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  34. ^ Friend, Tom (January 16, 2025). "Wayfair scores naming rights to Unrivaled arena". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  35. ^ Dalzell, Noa (January 17, 2025). "Unrivaled keeps announcing high-profile partnerships as gameplay set to begin". SB Nation. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  36. ^ Dixon, Ed (May 31, 2024). "Unrivaled basketball league nets star-studded investment ahead of debut season". Sports Pro Media. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Deen, Safid (January 16, 2025). "Unrivaled basketball stars praise league ahead of debut: 'This is what women deserve'". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  38. ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "So it's a single elimination tournament to determine the best 1v1 player in the world. And I'm ACTUALLY not supposed to say this but…first place gets minimum $250k 💰🤑" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ^ Leahy, Sean (October 31, 2024). "Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball league expands to 36 roster spots ahead of debut season". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  40. ^ Jackson, Eric (May 30, 2024). "Alex Morgan, Carmelo, Nash Invest in 3-v-3 Women's Hoops League". Sportico. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  41. ^ "Unrivaled's Bazzell believes Micky Lawler is the right person to be commissioner". Sports Business Journal. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  42. ^ Feinberg, Doug (August 12, 2024). "Paige Bueckers planning for future by joining new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, living in the present". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  43. ^ Anderson, Kari (August 1, 2024). "Paige Bueckers reportedly signs NIL deal with women's basketball league Unrivaled". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on August 17, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  44. ^ Young, Grant (December 5, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson Joins Paige Bueckers With Unrivaled NIL Deal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  45. ^ Schaefer, Rob (June 27, 2024). "Unrivaled names Micky Lawler as commissioner". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  46. ^ Shmerler, Cindy (August 13, 2024). "Micky Lawler, a Longtime Tennis Executive, Turns to Basketball". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  47. ^ "Professional Women's Basketball League 'Unrivaled' Names Clare Duwelius as Executive Vice President and General Manager". Sports Business Journal (Press release). November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  48. ^ Alex, Weprin (October 16, 2024). "TNT Sports Gets Into Women's Basketball, Inks Rights Deal With Startup League Unrivaled". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 24, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
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