Here are 4 methods Unrivaled might change the WNBA | USAEMALL.com

Near the end of 2022, New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart took a meeting at a New York City steakhouse to hear an idea to change the landscape of professional women’s basketball.

Stewart was preparing to spend part of another WNBA offseason abroad. Alex Bazzell, the husband of Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, had seen his wife play multiple seasons overseas, too. He pitched Stewart on a business proposition to keep most WNBA stars in the U.S. during the winter months instead.

Over red wine, Stewart was immediately interested in the concept of Unrivaled, a professional women’s 3×3 league that would promise the highest salaries in American women’s team sports. She eventually agreed to co-found the league along with Collier.

“It’s crazy to think about that meeting to where we are now,” Stewart said as Unrivaled approaches the end of its initial 10-week season.

Four of the league’s six teams play in the semifinals on Sunday. The championship game is on Monday. Stewart, whose Mist Basketball Club has already been eliminated, said Unrivaled could elevate players’ experiences across all professional women’s basketball.

The WNBA is coming off a season of record viewership. Last year was the most-watched regular season in 24 years and Game 5 of the WNBA Finals was the most-watched finals game in 25 years. The league also set records for digital consumption and merchandise and had its highest total attendance in more than two decades.

Still, Stewart is optimistic that Unrivaled can push the landscape even further.

“We’re uplifting the standard by just showing that when you invest and get behind us, anything is possible,” Stewart said.

Here are a few ways Unrivaled could influence the WNBA:

1. Raise salaries and provide players equity

Unrivaled launched at a critical juncture in the sport. The explosive growth coincides with negotiations between the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement, where players are expected to push for higher salaries. The players opted out of the previous agreement last October.

Unrivaled paid record salaries, an average of around $220,000 per player, and provided player equity, which the WNBA doesn’t provide. Thirty-six players signed on for Unrivaled, with six more available for injury relief.

Salaries would have been a top priority for the WNBPA no matter what. But the discrepancy between average salaries (the WNBA’s average salary was around $120,000 in 2024) kept the topic of pay at the forefront this winter.

Another part of Unrivaled’s model — giving players around 15 percent of its league equity — could also be a precursor to a change in the WNBA, which is entering its 29th season this summer. The WNBPA has stated that it wants an equity-based model that evolves with the league’s business success in the next CBA.

2. Improved amenities and added childcare

The leagues have numerous differences (operational expenses, ownership structure, game format, season length, roster sizes), but Unrivaled’s commitment to prioritizing the player experience could also influence the W.

“We’re taking the things we like here and we’re going to tell our ownership,” said Rhyne Howard, a star wing on the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and Unrivaled’s Vinyl Basketball Club.

A WNBA arms race has been underway with several franchises building new facilities and improving their amenities. Still, the offerings can vary widely from franchise to franchise.

Unrivaled created a private professional-level training space in a matter of months, outfitting a former TV production studio in the Miami area into an all-encompassing performance center and arena.

Some of what struck Unrivaled players was relatively small. The renovated facility includes a sauna and cold tub, two amenities that aren’t a 24/7 given with all WNBA clubs. Multiple players also appreciated heating pads on the training room tables.

Unrivaled vice president and general manager Clare Duwelius, the Minnesota Lynx’s former general manager, served as a point person for player requests. No ask was too big or too small, she said. “If the players put it on our radar, we aimed to provide that,” Duwelius said.

Perhaps most importantly, Unrivaled also ensured its facility offered robust childcare options. Wayfair Arena has a nursing room, nursery room and a kids room, which has toys, books, puzzles and even a mini basketball hoop with stickers of the six teams plastered on the backboard. The league hired nannies so players could drop off their kids at their convenience, whether for games, practices or other league obligations.

Katie Lou Samuelson, a forward on Phantom Basketball Club and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, has used the services for her 1-year-old daughter.

“Napheesa’s daughter, (Skylar Diggins-Smith’s) daughter, they’ve all built a little friendship together (with my daughter),” Samuelson said. “When we first started out, she didn’t want me to leave, and now she’s like, all right mom, you can go.”

The WNBA’s 2020 CBA made significant strides in its parental care policy, and some organizations have similar setups to Unrivaled. The Phoenix Mercury have a kids’ playroom and provide childcare during games. The Minnesota Lynx use a local company to help provide nanny care, and they have a space in Target Center for kids to play and sleep.

“I just feel super comfortable knowing that I can go into any game, I can do any treatment I need to do after the games end and there’s going to be someone there watching her and taking care of her until it’s time to go,” Samuelson said. “I don’t feel rushed, and it’s been really nice.”

Breanna Stewart, an Unrivaled co-founder, hopes to bring some touches from the 3×3 league to the WNBA. (Megan Briggs / Getty Images)

3. More partnership opportunities

Unrivaled brokered partnerships with multiple companies new to women’s basketball. More than a half dozen of the league’s corporate sponsors are not existing NBA or WNBA partners, including Sephora, Wayfair, Samsung Galaxy, Morgan Stanley and VistaPrint. Collier said the league showed “what is possible when you have the players’ brand buy-in.” Lexie Hull, a guard on Unrivaled’s Rose Basketball Club who plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, said Unrivaled’s partnerships highlighted that numerous companies are eager to work with women’s sports leagues and their athletes.

As a startup, Unrivaled can be more nimble. Because the WNBA is affiliated with the NBA, there is shared coordination on some dual sponsorship deals.

The WNBA increased its number of sponsorships by 19 percent last year, according to Marketing Brew, and the league had a record 24 sponsor activations at its All-Star Game fan fest last summer.

Jordin Canada, a guard on the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and Unrivaled’s Rose Basketball Club, said Unrivaled’s deals “puts pressure” on the WNBA to put its players at the forefront of more arrangements. Some deals might fit better with just the WNBA than with the WNBA and NBA combined.

Already one of Unrivaled’s corporate partners that did not have a previous tie to the WNBA is getting involved with one of the league’s franchises. Sephora announced in early January it will be the Toronto Tempo’s founding partner.

“It’s important to bring in all sorts of brands and people and introduce them to new faces,” said Chelsea Gray, a star guard for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and Unrivaled’s Rose Basketball Club. “I would encourage the (WNBA) to look at different partnerships and bring them along as well.”

4. Upping offseason promotion

Unrivaled prompted more than 30 of the WNBA’s top players to live in one area, leading to more publicity as they interacted with one another. Photo and video content was pumped out on official Unrivaled channels and on individual player platforms, keeping players more frequently in conversations among WNBA fans.

“That was a missing piece because you wouldn’t know what was happening for seven months because you were overseas,” Stewart said.

In recent years, the WNBA has stressed the importance of relevancy during its offseason. The league signs a few players each season to marketing agreements, which compensate players as brand ambassadors. But Unrivaled has boosted those efforts.

Shakira Austin, a center for Unrivaled’s Lunar Owls Basketball Club and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, said Unrivaled has been a “10 out of 10” in capturing player personalities, creating social content that is timely to online trends. That’s something she hopes to see more of in the WNBA season.

“We’re used to being overseas in God knows what country and you’d be lucky to even get some good internet service,” Austin said. “So to be able to have 24/7 almost access to the WNBA players while we’re playing year-round now, it’s dope and I think it’s something that can continue to move forward.”

Unrivaled’s players and executives said they hope the winter venture complements the WNBA, which holds its annual draft in April and tips off its season in May.

“This league is meant to be an aid to the WNBA,” Hull said. “They’re supposed to live in cohesion.”

During the Unrivaled season, WNBA officials, including commissioner Cathy Engelbert and head of league operations Bethany Donaphin, visited the league in Florida. Stewart said she hoped they observed all aspects of the new venture.

Duwelius said players are relaying feedback to her on Unrivaled’s first season. Stewart wants more space for the in-person fan experiences and for training rooms. How Unrivaled handles injuries is worth watching as well, along with its plans for some touring games next year. Bazzell said previously that the league would visit no more than four cities — targeting non-WNBA cities and college towns — and still have a home base next season.

Unrivaled’s impact, however, could be felt in just a few weeks when players return to their WNBA markets.

“From what we did in the W, to now flipping switches to Unrivaled to soon flipping back to the W, we’re just continuing to have people know what these players are doing constantly,” Stewart said. “We just want to make sure we’re growing the sport as a whole.”

(Top photo of Napheesa Collier defending Angel Reese: Rich Storry / Getty Images)