Unrivaled is setting a new benchmark for women’s basketball even before its first game is played.
The 3-on-3 league, founded by Olympic gold medalists Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, will debut on Friday with 36 players from the WNBA, including veterans like Brittney Griner and rookie Angel Reese.
The league stands out for its impressive player salaries. Unrivaled offers the highest average salary for players in any professional women’s sports league, with many earning six-figure salaries for the eight-week season. Players in Unrivaled will earn an average of more than $220,000, close to the maximum base salary in the WNBA.
“When it comes to each individual player, I think what we’re most proud of is they’re making more here per game than any league in the world,” said Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell.
“We want to now set the new standard of what expectation is for pay on the court. A lot of these players are making a lot of money off the court, but it’s that the best athletes in the world are compensated for what they do, which is basketball.”
Unrivaled has already raised over $35 million from various investors, including big names like Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, and Coco Gauff. The league has also secured partnerships with major brands such as Ally, State Farm, Wilson, Under Armour, Opill, Miller Lite, Sprite, Sephora, VistaPrint, and Ticketmaster, in addition to a multiyear media rights deal with TNT Sports. The financial details of these partnerships have not been disclosed.
The league will feature games played on a smaller court with different rules, such as an 18-second shot clock instead of the usual 24 seconds in the WNBA. Bazzell said that fans can expect to see exciting, fast-paced basketball during the WNBA offseason.
Despite the league’s strong start, there are concerns about whether Unrivaled’s business model will be sustainable. Johns Hopkins economics professor Christina DePasquale said that Unrivaled has a solid financial foundation, but its long-term success will depend on TV ratings and continued support from advertisers.
“It looks good right now,” she said. “They have a lot of capital, a lot of co-owners, sponsors who have bought into this who have equity.”
Bazzell, who is married to Collier, said that Unrivaled has a salary pool of more than $8 million. This pool does not include equity or revenue-sharing payments, which all of the initial 36 players will receive.
Since all games will be played in Miami at an 850-seat venue, travel costs will be minimal, which helps the league pay its players higher salaries. This model also provides WNBA players with an opportunity to earn extra income during the offseason without having to play overseas.
“I think we’re not here to be kind of a blip in history,” Bazzell said. “I think we want to be here long term.”
Unrivaled is also engaging future stars with NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals. Players like Paige Bueckers from UConn and LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson are already involved, and Bueckers is expected to play in Unrivaled next season.
The timing of Unrivaled’s launch is particularly significant for WNBA players. “Being able to wake up and get the things we deserve,” said Reese. “It puts pressure on the ‘W’ especially with the CBA coming up soon.” The WNBA players’ union recently opted out of its collective bargaining agreement and is currently negotiating a new deal.
Bazzell is confident that Unrivaled will push the WNBA to improve. “I think we are going to continue to be kind of the trendsetters for salaries and benefits,” he said. “And I think you’re going to see it as well in the WNBA. Everyone wants these players to make more money.”
DePasquale believes that Unrivaled can benefit the WNBA. “It doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. The success of Unrivaled doesn’t mean that it’s taking something away from the WNBA,” she said. “A Pareto improvement where the success of Unrivaled can be correlated with the success of the WNBA.”
Phoenix Mercury All-Star Brittney Griner agrees. “Unrivaled is showing that you don’t need a lot of time to pool resources together,” she said. “Being happy with what we already have is not gonna fly. … it’ll definitely put pressure on (the WNBA) to do better.”
Unrivaled is also offering unique amenities for players, such as personalized chefs, two-bedroom apartments, a glamour room, and rental cars. The league also offers a state-of-the-art childcare option for player parents.
“Every game night, whether you’re playing or not, the players can come, they can drop their kids off,” Bazzell explained. “If you don’t play, you can go on a date night. We just want to build a family environment.”
Though A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark, two of the best women’s basketball players, are not playing in the league, Unrivaled will feature many top WNBA players. This strong lineup of recognizable talent will help attract viewers and keep them engaged.
“This is almost like a superstar league,” DePasquale said. “That certainly will help get people to tune in and continuously tune in. A lot of the other professional league offshoots have become minor leagues in a sense, and that’s not what this is.”
