A new era of women’s basketball is here, and it’s called Unrivaled. Fresh off a historic year for women’s sports, the WNBA is expanding, college basketball is breaking viewership records, and now, Unrivaled is proving there’s even more room for the game to grow. If you haven’t been tuning in, now is the time to start. The brand-new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart is redefining the offseason by keeping the league’s top talent competing in the U.S. while offering higher pay, player equity, and a first-of-its-kind, athlete-driven structure.
The league is based in Miami, Florida, and features six teams competing in a fast-paced format designed to showcase elite talent in a high-energy setting. Unrivaled prioritizes player ownership, with every athlete in the league’s debut season holding a stake in its success. The teams: the Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose, and Vinyl are stacked with WNBA stars and top-tier talent, making every game highly competitive. The games are played in the 850-seat Wayfair Arena, designed to emphasize player personalities and provide an exclusive feel. The custom-built facility includes childcare services with vetted nannies, a nursery and nursing rooms, state-of-the-art weight and recovery rooms, and dedicated locker rooms for each of the teams. Players also get to embrace their full identities as athletes and women, with on-site hair and makeup studios for interviews and games, plus the Sephora runway tunnel where they can show off their style before tipoff.
What sets Unrivaled apart even more is that it’s one of the highest-paid women’s sports leagues in the world. Player salaries start at $100,000 for the ten-week season and the majority of contracts reach over $200,000. Each of the 36 players also split 15% of the revenue and compete in a 1 on 1 tournament for a $250,000 grand prize. The WNBA has been criticized for years as it can’t pay its players enough compared to NBA salaries. The average salary for a WNBA player is $150,000 per season, while the average NBA salary is $10 million. The league ensures that athletes are fairly compensated without having to go overseas to supplement their income.
Unrivaled has signed UConn’s Paige Bueckers and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson to NIL marketing deals as part of its ‘The Future is Unrivaled’ campaign, a brand platform designed to empower the next generation of women’s basketball stars on and off the court. While they won’t play in Unrivaled until they’re out of college, these groundbreaking NIL deals show the investment toward female athletes and the league’s future. On top of major sponsorship deals, Unrivaled has racked up $28 million from investors including Michael Phelps, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dawn Staley, JuJu Watkins, Coco Gauff, Alex Morgan, and more. The financial investment in Unrivaled marks a major step forward for female athletes.
The fast-paced, compressed full-court format makes every game exciting, and the star power is undeniable. Players like Jewell Lloyd, Brittany Griner, and Arike Ogunbowale are lighting up the court in ways that showcase just how skilled and competitive women’s basketball is. Two of the many WNBA players competing in Unrivaled are Kate Martin and Tiffany Hayes who play for the Laces. They will take what they’ve gained from Unrivaled back to the WNBA, where they’re both set to play for the Golden State Valkyries in the team’s inaugural season. The league will hold its draft in April before the Valkyries tip off their debut season on May 16 against the LA Sparks, and we finally have a team to root for right here at home.
In Norse mythology, Valkyries are essentially a group of fierce female warriors, a perfect counterpart to the Bay’s legendary NBA team, the Golden State Warriors. They symbolize strength and resilience, qualities that define both the team and the area they represent. While they’ll play in San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the Warriors play, their front office is based in Oakland, reinforcing their roots across the Bay Area. Women’s basketball is growing fast with new teams coming to Toronto and Portland in 2026. Cities like Detroit, Nashville, Kansas City, and many more have also submitted bids for future expansion.
If you’re a sports fan, this is just the beginning of something great. But for now, all eyes should be on Unrivaled. The inaugural season of Unrivaled will be delivering top-tier competition through March 17. The games can be streamed on TNT, TruTv, and Max every Friday, Saturday, and Monday. This isn’t just another league, it’s a statement towards the sports industry. Unrivaled is setting a new standard for women’s sports, it’s about time for the rest of the sports world to catch up.
