Women’s basketball has captured the world’s attention in recent years, with players like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and Sabrina Ionescu putting paid to hacky jokes about how “nobody watches women’s sports.” Now, a brand-new six-team league founded by two major women’s basketball stars has entered the chat. Below, find everything you need to know about Unrivaled—which begins games today.
What is Unrivaled, exactly, and who’s behind it?
The new three-on-three league was founded by New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier as an alternative to playing overseas during the WNBA offseason. (For years, many professional female basketball players have gone abroad to supplement their income.)
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC star JuJu Watkins are two of the investors behind Unrivaled, which has reportedly surpassed $35 million in funding. Other investors include tennis star Coco Gauff, former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The league is currently made up of six teams: the Laces (coached by Andrew Wade), the Lunar Owls (coached by DJ Sackmann), Mist (coached by Phil Handy), Phantom (coached by Adam Harrington), Rose (coached by Nola Henry), and Vinyl (coached by Teresa Weatherspoon).
Which WNBA players have joined Unrivaled?
Top WNBA draft picks Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young, Stewart, Jewell Loyd, and Brittney Griner will all compete in Unrivaled this season, along with Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, Flau’Jae Johnson, and many others. (Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink is sitting out the season while she recovers from an injury, but has committed to playing in Unrivaled next season.)
How much are Unrivaled players getting paid?
It’s no secret that professional basketball has an extremely sexist compensation disparity between male and female players, and one of the main goals of Unrivaled is to correct that imbalance, with the league promising to offer “the highest average salary in professional women’s (team) sports.” The average salary of Unrivaled players is estimated to be around $222, 222, about double the average WNBA salary. In addition, Unrivaled players are offered equity in the league.
How long will the Unrivaled season last?
The league’s eight-week season will run from January 17 through March 17 at Wayfair Arena, a custom-built facility in Miami.
How can I watch Unrivaled games?
Games will take place each week on Monday, Friday, and Saturday nights. You can tune in on TNT (on Mondays and Fridays) or TruTV (on Saturdays), or stream them via Max. See the full schedule here.
