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Unrivaled (basketball league)

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Unrivaled
SportBasketball
FoundedJuly 6, 2023; 14 months ago (2023-07-06)
FounderNapheesa Collier
Breanna Stewart
First season2025
PresidentAlex Bazzell
CommissionerMicky Lawler
No. of teams6
CountriesUnited States
HeadquartersMiami, Florida
Official websiteUnrivaled

Unrivaled is a women's professional three-on-three 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 slotted to begin in January 2025 in Miami, Florida.[1]

Players and coaches

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Unrivaled is to consist of thirty professional players, making up six 5-player teams. The rosters for each team are decided by a selection committee that sorts players based on their position and skill level.[1][2] Each team will have a head coach, an assistant coach, and a team manager.[3]

Starting on July 9, 2024, the 30-player roster for the 2025 season began to be announced one-by-one on Unrivaled's social media accounts.[4] Hints were given on social media before roster announcements, encouraging fans to engage and make their guesses on the next Unrivaled roster addition.

Players are listed in order of announcement:

Unrivaled 2025 Roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
FUnited StatesStewart, Breanna6' 4" (1.93m)170 lb (77kg)1994-08-27ConnecticutR
FUnited StatesCollier, Napheesa6' 2" (1.88m)185 lb (84kg)1996-09-23ConnecticutR
GUnited StatesGray, Chelsea5' 11" (1.8m)170 lb (77kg)1992-10-08DukeR
GUnited StatesOgunbowale, Arike5' 8" (1.73m)165 lb (75kg)1997-03-02Notre DameR
GUnited StatesLoyd, Jewell5' 11" (1.8m)165 lb (75kg)1993-10-05Notre DameR
GUnited StatesPlum, Kelsey5' 8" (1.73m)145 lb (66kg)1994-08-24WashingtonR
GUnited StatesHoward, Rhyne6' 2" (1.88m)175 lb (79kg)2000-04-29KentuckyR
G/FUnited StatesCopper, Kahleah6' 1" (1.85m)165 lb (75kg)1994-08-28RutgersR
GUnited StatesYoung, Jackie6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg)1997-09-16Notre DameR
FUnited StatesReese, Angel6' 3" (1.91m)165 lb (75kg)2002-05-06LSUR
FUnited StatesHamby, Dearica6' 3" (1.91m)189 lb (86kg)1993-11-06Wake ForestR
GUnited StatesMcBride, Kayla5' 10" (1.78m)186 lb (84kg)1992-06-25Notre DameR
GUnited StatesMabrey, Marina5' 11" (1.8m)170 lb (77kg)1996-09-14Notre DameR
FGermanySabally, Satou6' 4" (1.93m)175 lb (79kg)1998-04-25OregonR
GUnited StatesGray, Allisha6' 0" (1.83m)167 lb (76kg)1995-01-12South CarolinaR
GUnited StatesCloud, Natasha5' 9" (1.75m)160 lb (73kg)1992-02-22Saint Joseph'sR
GUnited StatesDiggins-Smith, Skylar5' 9" (1.75m)145 lb (66kg)1990-08-02Notre DameR
FUnited StatesJackson, Rickea6' 2" (1.88m)175 lb (79kg)2001-03-16TennesseeR
G/FUnited StatesCarrington, DiJonai5' 11" (1.8m)175 lb (79kg)1998-01-08BaylorR

Milestones

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Unrivaled Milestones
Milestone Player Team Date Ref.
First player signed Breanna Stewart TBD July 9, 2024 [4]
First name, image, and likeness signing Paige Bueckers N/A[a] August 1, 2024 [5]
  1. ^ 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.

Rules and regulations

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Games will be played on a compressed full court and consist of four 7-minute quarters with both game and shot clocks.[6]

Court dimensions

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Unrivaled Court Dimensions
Area Imperial Metric
Length of court (baseline to baseline) 70 ft[a] 21.34 m
Width of court (sideline to sideline) 50 ft[b] 15.24 m
  1. ^ Compare to the standard NBA/WNBA length of 94 feet (29 m).
  2. ^ Same width as a standard NBA/WNBA court.

Season format

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The regular season will be played from January to March, with eight weeks of total play, and a one-on-one (1v1) single elimination tournament mid-season, followed by playoffs for the top four teams from regular season play.[1] The winner of the 2025 1v1 tournament win earn a minimum of $250,000.[7]

Regular season games are to occur three nights a week with two games played each night.[8] For the 2025 season, the majority of regular season games will be played in a custom facility within Media Pro Studios in Miami.[9] Players will also be provided local housing during the season with access to gym and practice facilities paid for by the league.[9]

Business

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Finance

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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][6] 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][6][10] Also in May 2024, Unrivaled announced that they had closed their seed funding.[10]

In July 2024, Ally Financial was announced as Unrivaled's first and founding brand partner.[11][12] Ally will be the league-wide jersey sponsor, assist in media spending and negotiations, "activat[e] hospitality and fan engagement opportunities, and [appear] in online/digital content and in-arena signage."[11]

In August 2024, it was announced that Paige Bueckers had signed an name, image, and likeness deal with Unrivaled, with plans for Bueckers to make her Unrivaled debut in the 2026 season (after the completion of her NCAA playing career).[5][13]

Leadership

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Alex Bazzell, a renowned basketball skills coach and Collier's husband, is the first and current president of Unrivaled.[10] In June 2024, Micky Lawler, a former Women's Tennis Association president, was named the commissioner of the league.[14][15]

Player salaries

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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.[10][16] Additionally to create an athlete-centric and player-owned league, Unrivaled will offer the 30 inaugural players equity in the league for at least the first year[6] with an "equity pool that will vest over a four-year period."[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Negley, Cassandra (May 30, 2024). "Unrivaled basketball league set to feature serious salaries and has the backing of some major names". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "There's a selection committee that splits the teams by position & skill..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "Every team will have a head coach, assistant and a team manager" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b @Unrivaledwbb (July 9, 2024). "STEWIE IS UNRIVALED 👑 1/30 ✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ a b Feinberg, Doug (August 12, 2024). "Paige Bueckers planning for future by joining new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, living in the present". Associated Press.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ @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.
  8. ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "There will be 2 games in a row, 3 nights per week that will be highly accessible..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ a b "Unrivaled's Bazzell believes Micky Lawler is the right person to be commissioner". Sports Business Journal. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b "Unrivaled Scores With Ally Financial, the League's First and Founding Partner". PRNewswire (Press release). July 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Pelit, Asli (July 19, 2024). "Ally Becomes Founding Partner of Women's 3-on-3 League Unrivaled". Sportico. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  13. ^ Anderson, Kari (August 1, 2024). "Paige Bueckers reportedly signs NIL deal with women's basketball league Unrivaled". Yahoo Sports.
  14. ^ Schaefer, Rob (June 27, 2024). "Unrivaled names Micky Lawler as commissioner". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Shmerler, Cindy (August 13, 2024). "Micky Lawler, a Longtime Tennis Executive, Turns to Basketball". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Dixon, Ed (May 31, 2024). "Unrivaled basketball league nets star-studded investment ahead of debut season". Sports Pro Media.
  17. ^ Jackson, Eric (May 30, 2024). "Alex Morgan, Carmelo, Nash Invest in 3-v-3 Women's Hoops League". Sportico.
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