Unrivaled Is Changing the Way the World Thinks About Women’s Basketball

Thirty-six women, six teams, an 850-seat venue, and plenty of heat. The 2025 off-season’s a lot more exciting this year for women’s basketball fans with the launch of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league co-founded by Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) greats Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Created with the goal of providing an alternative source of income and competition for WNBA players during the offseason, the league features a slew of the sport’s biggest names from across the country, including Brittney Griner, Angel Reese, Jewell Loyd, and Skylar Diggins-Smith—among others. 

Since the start of their season, the league’s been praised by players and fans alike for the way they take care of their athletes. Before tip-off on January 17, Reese—who’s currently playing for Unrivaled’s Rose Basketball Club—tweeted “We get to workout, use the weight room, create new bonds/friendships, get treatment, get massages, use the sauna, getting 2 meals a day, and then a facial before I leave for the day??? yeah i love it here @Unrivaledwbb."

Lexie Hull, guard for the Indiana Fever and newly crowned Athleta ambassador also playing on the Rose, co-signs Reese’s take on the experience. “I got a facial last week, and have a massage every week,” she says. “We’ve got great food by the former chef for the Celtics, protein shakes, whatever you can think of. The league is listening, and they're delivering.” And Unrivaled's resources, facilities, and services for their players are just the start of making women's basketball more equitable.

So, why is this important now?

The 2024 WNBA season shattered records. Attracting an all-time record of more than 54 million unique viewers across networks including ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION, and NBA TV, the WNBA boasted its highest total attendance in 22 years at 2.3 million, up 48 percent from 2023, according to their website. Merchandise sales were up. Social media engagement, up. The momentum? Palpable, to say the least. 

“People are really gravitating towards the rise of something right now, right? Women’s basketball is having a rocketship moment,” says Kirby Porter, Chief Brand Officer for Unrivaled, who played college basketball at Harvard University. “It does feel like a new beginning for women's basketball. Fans are really connecting to this growth story in women's sports.”

So, yes, Unrivaled aims to capitalize on this impressive growth and give the fans what they’re after. But, it’s bigger than that: The league also empowers players to stay domestic during the off-season. Pros often go overseas in the winter to continue to play and make money once the regular season ends—largely because WNBA players only earn a fraction of what their male counterparts collect from the NBA. For instance: Many were shocked when, the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark’s salary was announced last year, a four-year contract that paid $76,535 during her first season. For comparison: Stephen Curry makes north of $55 million.

For those participating in Unrivaled, the average player salary during the nine-week inaugural season is over $200,000. For reference, this is close to the maximum base salary that the WNBA offers its players. Plus, the players also split a 15 percent revenue pot.

“Our players and co-founders have thought about what doesn’t exist and what they do want to exist with Unrivaled,” says Porter. “And so, it's like they’ve had the opportunity to craft what their ideal off-season looks like.”

In that ideal world, no one needs to be away from friends and family. Especially for many of the players, like Collier and Stewart, who have children—the Miami-based league gives them an opportunity to embrace all of the roles they play on a day-to-day basis, from player to mom, and everything in between. This was a major contributing factor that made Coca-Cola enthusiastic to get involved, according to A.P. Chaney, Senior Creative Director for Sprite.

“This is all about amplifying women in their own right and not having them be compared to their male counterparts in the sport,” Chaney says. “It’s so important that these players get to stay home. They don't have to travel overseas. They get to rest, be around each other, and play in a new and innovative way.”

Sprite is one of the many sponsors of the league who presented Unrivaled’s one-on-one Tournament. Through their contributions, the brand’s goal is to amplify the players and women’s basketball as a whole. “We need as many eyes and visibility as possible, to keep inviting people to the table,” she adds. “There’s no such thing as being late to the game. The more folks that join, the better the party is.”

It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by a slew of the league’s year one partners. Other brands that have contributed to Unrivaled include Sephora, Ally Financial, TNT Sports, State Farm, Wilson, Under Armour, and Miller Lite, among others. 

How exactly is Unrivaled different than the WNBA?

Bop down to Miami, and you’ll be hard-pressed not to gawk at the state-of-the-art, $1.5 million custom-built compound for the league that totes everything the players could need. A childcare room for players who have kids, pristine training facilities, dedicated office spaces, and a content creation hub anchor the facility. And, you can’t forget the Sephora glam room. As the exclusive beauty partner of Unrivaled, Sephora stocks this one-of-a-kind space with the top products, Fenty Beauty hair products, and beauty pros to help get the players prepped for game day.

“The Sephora partnership makes the fans happy because they see a solidified connection between women’s basketball and lifestyle,” says Porter. “People are acknowledging that women's basketball players are great beauty and lifestyle influencers.”

Beyond the glam, one of the biggest perks is the intimacy of the league, says Hull. “It's such a small league and there's only 36 people here,” she adds. “Our locker rooms are all in the same hallway. It is fun to have this group here where otherwise I probably wouldn't have got a chance to interact with them like this.” 

According to Hull, it’s also an opportunity to work on all aspects of her game. “It's pretty exposed on both sides of the floor,” she says. “You have a lot more touches on the ball offensively, more one-on-one possessions defensively. So, you have to work on every aspect, whereas like on five on five, a lot of times you have a specific role and you can hone in on that role and really focus on doing exactly that.” 

What does success for the league look like?

This is a year where learning will be absolutely critical, says Porter. While Unrivaled is unchartered territory, they’re still measuring success based on the key metrics commonly considered, like viewership, attendance, and revenue. But without a doubt, year one is a win regardless of the numbers, she adds. “We got it to market and got it to market well, and that's also a success,” Porter says. “This year, we’re open to seeing what people are gravitating toward, and then helping that inform what success looks like in year two.” If you ask us? We can't wait to watch the league grow.

Want to tune in? The entire season airs on TNT, TruTV, and is available to stream on Max. For the full schedule, click here.