Everything to Know About Unrivaled, the New Women’s Basketball League

The biggest stars in the sport have signed on to make it a must-watch.

January 17, 2025

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Every year from May through October, showdowns between the world’s best basketball stars take center stage during the WNBA season. Fans get to see athletes like Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner stun with epic blocks and aptly nicknamed “Point Gawd” Chelsea Gray dominate the court. But once the playoffs conclude in the fall, players historically travel overseas to hone their skills year-round on international teams and supplement their income during the offseason. Meaning: For half the year, women’s professional basketball is out of sight for the American fanbase.

Last year, two WNBA superstars set out to change that. In the summer of 2023, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier announced the formation of Unrivaled, a new women’s basketball league featuring six teams of top athletes playing games of 3-on-3. The inaugural season kicks off this month in Miami and will span through March, providing players with another option for competing domestically—and with huge financial benefits. According to The Athletic, a number of high-profile investors have also jumped onboard (including Alex Morgan, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Megan Rapinoe, and former ESPN and Turner presidents John Skipper and David Levy), backing the league’s mission to provide record salaries and equity for players in a new era for women’s basketball and beyond.

“Women’s sports is on such a rise, and it feels like everyone is benefiting from that except the women in the sport, and obviously that’s something we’re trying to change,” Collier told The Athletic. “From the beginning, [Stewart] and I really set out to create a league that was founded on that principle that players deserve compensation and ownership that reflect their value.”

So before the first tip-off, here’s everything you need to know, including the inspiration behind the venture, who’s playing in the league, how to follow Unrivaled—and the best way to watch it right at home.

Some of the biggest stars in the world signed on for the new league.

In its inaugural season, Unrivaled split a pool of 36 athletes into six teams made up of reigning WNBA All-Stars and Olympic champions. The newly formed Laces, Phantom, Rose, Lunar Owls, Vinyl, and Mist basketball clubs feature the biggest names in the sport, including Griner, Gray, six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, and NCAA champion Angel Reese, to name a few.

Each club will have its own coach, chosen based on their experience in player development at the WNBA and NBA level, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation. Teresa Weatherspoon will lead the Vinyl, Nola Henry will coach the Rose, the Mist will be led by Phil Handy, the Lunar Owls will be coached by DJ Sackmann, Adam Harrington will guide the Phantom, and Andrew Wade will lead the Laces.

Unrivaled

It will provide more financial opportunities for players.

There’s always been a huge pay disparity between men’s and women’s professional sports leagues. When Caitlin Clark was selected as No. 1 overall in last year’s WNBA draft, she tied with four fellow rookies for the highest female rookie salary—estimated to be $76,535 in her first season and approximately $338,000 over four years, according to Sport Trac. Meanwhile, most NBA players make over 100 times what the new women’s players will make. For instance, during the 2023-24 season, No. 1 NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama made more than $12 million, according to ABC News.

Unrivaled promises to pay the players the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history, as The Athletic reports. It will also give equity in the league to its inaugural participants, so that the players can reap financial rewards from Unrivaled even after they’re off the court.

While exact salaries won’t be shared, each player is set to make a minimum of six figures. In an interview with SB Nation, Bazzell, who is also Collier’s husband, said the league’s salary pool is above $8 million. With 36 players, the average salary would be $222,222, higher than the regular max contract of $214,466 for the 2025 WNBA season, per CBS Sports.

The league will also provide a welcome alternative for athletes navigating the WNBA’s long offseason. In the past, many players went overseas for half the year to supplement their income. But leaving the US decreases the athletes’ marketability and hinders the growth of the sport, since players aren’t showcasing their skills in front of an American audience. Unrivaled’s model aims to keep women’s basketball at the forefront year-round and provide players with a second opportunity to play stateside (Athletes Unlimited is another newly launched professional women’s league hosted during the WNBA’s offseason.)

“For a long time, going overseas was the only option that people had in their offseason, and so this is kind of changing the narrative around that and giving another option,” Collier told CNBC. “Overseas is a great option for some players, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you can do to make money and play basketball and get better.”

Unrivaled shakes up traditional b-ball with a new format of play.

The league will debut a new style of 3-on-3 basketball played on a slightly shorter court. The modified floor, which is about three fourths the length of the WNBA’s court, is designed to allow players to show off their best skills with less impact on their bodies—a welcome reprieve from playing year-round overseas and domestically. The games will also be shorter: In the new league’s format, they will play four seven-minute quarters instead of the 10-minute quarters played in the WNBA.

Compared to the traditional 5-on-5 concept, 3-on-3 enables athletes to improve their game in a different way. “It takes you back to how you would perfect your craft,” Gray, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces, told ESPN. “You roll the ball out, let’s play 1s or 3-on-3 in the street, so it brings a fun environment type of vibe while you’re still making bread.”

“But you’ve got to be in a different type of shape for 3-on-3. I’ve got to start training for this. There’s more space and more scoring,” Gray said, explaining that the new format puts responsibility on each individual player to be more agile.

In addition to the 3-on-3 season, the league will host a thrilling 1-on-1 tournament from February 10 to February 14. The single elimination tournament aims to determine the best individual player in the world. Plus the winner is set to earn a minimum of $250,000, Collier wrote on X back in August.

Unrivaled

The league built its own facility—and will offer other much-needed player support too.

Players can look forward to resources that prioritize athletes’ development and comfort in a new, state-of-the-art venue. The league has a partnership with Mediapro North America, a production facility in Miami, where the games will be held. In addition to two basketball courts, the arena features training facilities, a cafeteria staffed with nutritionists, and a childcare room for players, among other amenities. Unrivaled also hired nearly a dozen personal trainers and massage therapists, and plans to provide day care for mothers who bring their children with them during the nine-week season.

“It’s everything that the athletes need under one roof when it comes to anything and everything —on-court or off-court for them,” Bazzell told SB Nation.

Fans can get a front-row seat even if they live far away from the action.

If a trip to Miami isn’t in the cards, you still don’t need to miss any of the play: The league will be televised and streamed for a wide audience. Last fall, Unrivaled announced it had reached a multiyear deal with TNT Sports, which also invested in the league and has taken an equity stake. The games will be broadcast on TNT, TruTV, and streamed on Max.

The league kicks off mid-January.

You won’t have to wait long to see Unrivaled in action. The opening game is scheduled for Friday, January 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The first teams to take the court will be the Mist against the Lunar Owls, a matchup between cofounders Collier and Stewart. The season will run for nine weeks, including playoffs, with the final championship game scheduled for March 17.