Unrivaled: A Groundbreaking Women’s 3×3 Basketball League Secures $28 Million in Funding
Unrivaled, a new women’s professional 3×3 basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars and Olympic champions Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), announced on Monday that it has raised $28 million through its Series A funding round.
Noteworthy Investors Join the Vision
The funding round has attracted a diverse array of investors, including NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and his wife Nicole, South Carolina women’s basketball Head Coach Dawn Staley, USC guard JuJu Watkins, and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Joe Ingles.
A New Era for Women’s Sports
Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier unveiled the concept for Unrivaled last year, aiming to revolutionize women’s sports by prioritizing direct investments in female athletes. Stewart emphasized the shift in dynamics, noting, “For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income. With Unrivaled, we’re revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay.”
Collier reiterated the impact of this initiative, stating, “With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season. Breanna and I set out to create a league that would change the way women’s sports are viewed and ultimately how sports leagues operate. This isn’t just our league—it belongs to the players, and the Unrivaled model reflects that.”
Season Details and Teams
The inaugural season of Unrivaled kicks off on January 17 and will feature a 10-week schedule hosted in Miami. The league will showcase some of the biggest names in women’s basketball, divided into six teams that will be coached by notable figures including Teresa Weatherspoon, Phil Handy, Adam Harrington, DJ Sackmann, Nola Henry, and Andrew Wade.
Star-Studded Roster
Beyond Stewart and Collier, the league boasts an impressive roster of athletes, including Jewell Loyd, Courtney Vandersloot, DiJonai Carrington, and Brittney Griner, among others.
Unique Game Format
Games will be played on 70×50 foot full courts—approximately three-fourths the size of a WNBA court—featuring four seven-minute quarters, marking a shift from the traditional 5×5 format.
Empowering Female Athletes
Unrivaled’s structure also aims to empower female athletes by allowing them to remain in the United States during the off-season, a notable contrast to the trend of traveling overseas for play. The league guarantees athletes a minimum average salary of $222,000, significantly higher than the WNBA’s league minimum of $64,154 for players with two or fewer years of experience.
Broadcast Plans
Fans can expect to catch the inaugural season of Unrivaled on TNT and truTV, along with streaming options available on Max. The league’s first wave of investors included notable figures such as former ESPN president John Skipper, former Turner Networks president David Levy, USWNT icon Alex Morgan, and former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, among many others.
Unrivaled represents a promising step forward for women’s sports, establishing a platform that champions and elevates female athletes, while also bringing the excitement of professional 3×3 basketball to a broader audience.
