The second season of Unrivaled is set to kick off on Monday afternoon, but it will start without one of its prominent co-founders on the court. Napheesa Collier, a forward for the Luna Owls and an All-Star with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, will miss the season due to multiple ankle injuries that required surgery. Though this is a setback for Collier’s team, the professional 3×3 league remains optimistic about its strong roster of star players.
As the women’s basketball world faces uncertainty with ongoing WNBA collective bargaining talks and the potential rise of a competing offseason league called Project B, Unrivaled has secured a 54-player roster, with most on multi-year contracts. Valued at $340 million after recent investment, the league features several newcomers this season, including notable names like Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers. Claire Duwellius, Unrivaled’s executive vice president and GM, expressed excitement about the talent and growth compared to last season.
Unrivaled is expanding with two new teams, Hibs Basketball Club and Breeze Basketball Club, making eight teams total, and a unique development pool of six players available throughout the season for injury relief. League president Alex Buzzell, Collier’s husband, noted the league’s rapid growth, which prompted earlier-than-planned expansion. Enhancements include bigger athletic training facilities and dedicated development coaches for each team, leading to improved player amenities and overall league professionalism, as highlighted by player Arike Ogunbowale.
The league also introduced a fourth night of games and removed back-to-back game days to enhance competition and player welfare. Matches will be broadcast on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max. The roster draft involved dividing 48 players into six groups, requiring each team to pick a player from each group, with some existing players protected from the draft.
Several notable WNBA All-Stars like Jewell Lloyd, Kayla McBride, Angel Reese, and Sabrina Ionescu will not return this season, while fresh faces like Cameron Brink and Kelsey Mitchell add excitement. Additionally, for the first time, Unrivaled will host games outside Florida, including a Philadelphia stop at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The league boasts coaches with extensive WNBA experience and aims to disrupt the traditional overseas offseason play model by offering high salaries and equity to keep top players in the U.S. Project B, a new league with a different format and global tournament style, also seeks to attract WNBA talent, though Stewart remains confident in Unrivaled’s unique appeal.
Unrivaled’s gameplay differs from the WNBA’s, using a smaller 3×3 court with shorter quarters and unique scoring rules, eliminating overtime. The defending champions, Rose, are favorites to win again with many returning players, but Stewart’s Mists look strong with a talented lineup aiming for a playoff comeback.
Fan Take: This update on Unrivaled’s second season signals big growth in women’s basketball, offering players more opportunities domestically and raising the profile of the sport. WNBA fans should watch closely as this evolving landscape could redefine career paths and competition levels in women’s basketball nationwide.
