Current season, competition or edition: 2025 Unrivaled season | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball (three-on-three) |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 6, 2023 |
| Founder | Napheesa Collier Breanna Stewart |
| First season | 2025 |
| President | Alex Bazzell |
| Commissioner | Micky Lawler |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Countries | United States |
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida |
| TV partner(s) |
|
| Official website | Unrivaled |
Unrivaled is a professional three-on-three women's basketball league based in the United States.
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 began on January 17, 2025, in Miami, Florida [1] with plans for the 2026 season to have games played across the United States. [2]
The league announced Stewart as the first signed player on July 9, 2024. [3]
Games are played on a full court with two ends, and consist of three seven-minute periods followed by a "winning score" fourth period played under Elam Ending conditions. [4] [a] In Unrivaled's implementation, 11 points are added to the leading team's (or tied teams') score at the end of the third period. The game then continues with no game clock but with an active shot clock, and the first team to reach or exceed the "winning score" wins. [6]
The court is a compressed full court billed as 72 ft long by 49.2 ft wide. The width is slightly less than that of courts in the WNBA, 49.2 ft vs 50 ft, [4] and the length is also noticeably shorter, 72 ft instead of 94 ft (29 m) of college and professional competitions or the high school standard of 84 ft (26 m). [7] In metric terms, it is identical to two FIBA 3x3 courts spliced into a single full court—22 meters long by 15 meters wide.
The shot clock in Unrivaled is shortened to 18 seconds for full possession and to 12 seconds for resets. [4] [8]
Another change made in Unrivaled to free throws resulting from personal fouls. Players will only take one free throw after being fouled, earning 2 points if fouled on a two-point shot or 3 points for a three-point shot. [8] Free throws earned when fouled on a made basket, will still just be worth one point as in the WNBA. [8] Players will foul out after six personal fouls. However, if a team only has 3 remaining available players, no one will foul out. [8] Instead, the player left on the court with six personal fouls will be given a technical foul and give the opposing team a 1-point free throw opportunity. [8]
On October 24, the inaugural six team names were announced. [9] Teams do not have geographic connections, although the branding was created with a consideration for potential future sale and relocation of the teams. [9] The rosters for each team are decided by a selection committee that sorts players based on their position and skill level. [1] [10] Each team will have a head coach, an assistant coach, and a team manager. [11]
| Team | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|
| Laces BC | 2025 | Andrew Wade |
| Lunar Owls BC | 2025 | DJ Sackmann |
| Mist BC | 2025 | Phil Handy |
| Phantom BC | 2025 | Adam Harrington |
| Rose BC | 2025 | Nola Henry |
| Vinyl BC | 2025 | Teresa Weatherspoon |
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] [5] 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] [5] [12] Also in May 2024, Unrivaled announced that they had closed their seed funding. [12] In December 2024, the league announced that their Series A round had closed with a new total capital of $35 million and included new investors such as Dawn Staley, JuJu Watkins, Michael and Nicole Phelps, Rip Hamilton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. [13] [14] In January 2025, Coco Gauff also announced her investment in Unrivaled. [15]
In July 2024, Ally Financial was announced as Unrivaled's first and founding brand partner. [16] [17] In December 2024, Under Armour was announced as the league's "official uniform partner and performance outfitter." [18] Under Armour will provide performance apparel and accessories and also provide players without conflicting brand deals access to their footwear line and opportunity to create custom merchandise. [18]
| Company | Joined | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ally Financial | July 2024 | Founding Brand Partner and Jersey Sponsor | [16] [19] |
| TNT Sports | October 2024 | Exclusive Media Rights Partner | [20] |
| Mediapro | November 2024 | Production and Hosting Partner | [21] |
| State Farm | Presenting Sponsor for 2025 Club Selection Show Home and Auto Insurance Partner | [22] | |
| Wilson Sporting Goods | December 2024 | Official Ball Manufacturer | [23] |
| Under Armour | Uniform Partner and Performance Outfitter | [18] | |
| Ticketmaster | Official Ticketing Partner | ||
| Miller Lite | Official Beer Partner | [24] | |
| Vistaprint | January 2025 | Official Print and Design Partner | [25] |
| Sephora | Official Beauty Partner | [26] | |
| Samsung | Official Technology and Presenting Partner | [27] | |
| IcyHot | Official Recovery Partner | [28] | |
| Sprite | Presenting Partner of 2025 1v1 Tournament | [29] | |
| BODYARMOR | Official Sports Drink | [29] | |
| Wayfair | Official Home Furnishing Partner Namesake of Unrivaled 2025 Arena | [30] | |
| Morgan Stanley | [31] |
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. [12] [32] In December 2024 the president of Unrivaled, Alex Bazzell, announced that the league's total salary pool for the 2025 season was $8 million. [33] [b] The winner of the 2025 1v1 mid-season tournament will earn a minimum of $250,000. [34] [35]
Additionally to create an athlete-centric and player-owned league, Unrivaled will offer the inaugural players equity in the league for at least the first year [5] with an "equity pool that will vest over a four-year period." [36]
For the 2025 season, players lived in a Miami apartment building (about five minutes away from the main facility) with access to gym and practice facilities paid for by the league. [33] [37]
In August, it was announced that Paige Bueckers had signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Unrivaled, with plans for Bueckers to make her Unrivaled debut in the 2026 season. [c] [39] In December 2024, Unrivaled announced that Flau'jae Johnson also signed a similar deal to Bueckers' with the league. [40]
Alex Bazzell, a renowned basketball skills coach and Collier's husband, is the first and current president of Unrivaled. [12] In June 2024, Micky Lawler, a former Women's Tennis Association president, was named the commissioner of the league. [41] [42] On November 11, 2024, Clare Duwelius (former general manager of the Minnesota Lynx) was announced as executive vice president and general manager of the league and Luke Cooper, the president of basketball operations. [43]
The 2025 season is being aired on TNT and TruTV, and streamed on Max in the United States. [44]
Tiffany Kiara Hayes is an American-Azerbaijani professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Hayes played college basketball for the Connecticut Huskies, playing for the 2009 and 2010 NCAA National Champions.
Breanna Mackenzie Stewart, nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is one of the most accomplished women in basketball history. Stewart is also a founder of the Unrivaled basketball league along with Napheesa Collier.
Alyssa Thomas is an American professional basketball forward for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. The New York Liberty drafted Thomas 4th overall in the 2014 WNBA draft, and immediately traded her to the Connecticut Sun along with Kelsey Bone and a 2015 first-round draft pick in exchange for Tina Charles. Thomas is the University of Maryland's all-time leader in scoring, rebounding and double-doubles for both the women's and men's programs, and one of nine athletes in NCAAW history with six career triple-doubles. In the WNBA, Thomas recorded fifteen career triple-doubles. She is one of four players to record 15+, 15+, 10+ with 0 turnovers, the only WNBA player to do so ever.
Chelsea Nichelle Gray is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the eleventh pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She missed the 2014 WNBA season due to injury, but she made her debut with the Sun in the 2015 WNBA season. Gray won her first title with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. She won her second title with the Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals, where she was named Finals MVP. She won gold medals for 5x5 basketball at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
Jewell Loyd is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted first overall in the 2015 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm. She played college basketball at Notre Dame.
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Allisha Gray is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She won a gold medal in women's 3x3 basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Kahleah Copper is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the seventh overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2016, and was traded to the Chicago Sky the next year.
Arike Ogunbowale is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, before being drafted by the Wings with the fifth overall pick of the 2019 WNBA draft. She was the Most Outstanding Player of Notre Dame's 2018 national title run, hitting game-winning baskets in both the semi-final and championship game. Arike Ogunbowale was named WNBA All Star MVP in 2021 and 2024.
Azurá Breeona Stevens is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Stevens played college basketball at Duke and UConn. She was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.
Marina Mabrey is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Mabrey was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2019 WNBA draft. She previously played with the United States women's national under-19 basketball team and the University of Notre Dame.
Paige Madison Bueckers is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
Rhyne Howard is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Vinyl BC of Unrivaled (basketball). She played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. She graduated from Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 2018. She was drafted first overall by the Dream in the 2022 WNBA draft.
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The 2025 season of Unrivaled is the league's inaugural season. Six teams will play a regular season of matches in January to March to contest four places in a single-elimination playoff tournament that determines the champions of the league.
