Unrivaled (basketball)
Unrivaled is a women's three-on-three basketball league in the United States.
History
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 Medley, Florida near Miami, with plans for the 2026 season to have games played across the United States.The league announced Stewart as the first signed player on July 9, 2024.
The league's first 1-on-1 single-elimination tournament, which took place February 10 to 14, 2025, was won by Collier.
The league's first championship was won by Rose BC on March 17, 2025.
On January 30, 2026, a league game in Philadelphia set a record for the highest attendance of any professional women’s basketball regular-season game, with a total attendance of 21,490.
Rules and regulations
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. In Unrivaled's implementation, a "winning score" is determined by adding 11 points to the leading team's 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.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, while the length is noticeably shorter, 72 ft instead of of college and professional competitions or the high school standard of. In metric terms, it is identical to two International Basketball Federation 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.
Another change made in Unrivaled is to free throws resulting from personal fouls. Players are awarded one free throw after being fouled, with a successful free throw earning 2 points if fouled on a two-point shot or 3 points for a three-point shot. Free throws earned when fouled on a made basket, are worth one point, as in the WNBA. Players will foul out after six personal fouls. However, if a team only has 3 remaining available players, no one will foul out. 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.
League format
The season will include nine weeks of total play, including playoffs. The six teams will play in a round-robin schedule. The top four teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season will make the playoffs.Unrivaled will feature a 1-on-1 single elimination tournament played in February to determine the best 1-on-1 player in the world.
Teams
On October 24, 2024 the inaugural six team names were announced. Teams do not have geographic connections, although the branding was created with a consideration for potential future sale and relocation of the teams. The rosters for each team are decided by a selection committee that sorts players based on their position and skill level. Each team will have a head coach, an assistant coach, and a team manager.For the 2026 season, the inaugural six clubs are returning with the addition of two new clubs, Breeze BC and Hive BC, and a formal player development pool.
Business
Finances and sponsorships
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. 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. Also in May 2024, Unrivaled announced that they had closed their seed funding. 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. In January 2025, Coco Gauff also announced her investment in Unrivaled. At the end of Unrivaled's inaugural regular season, the league announced that NBA All-Star, Stephen Curry, had also joined as an investor.In July 2024, Ally Financial was announced as Unrivaled's first and founding brand partner. In December 2024, Under Armour was announced as the league's "official uniform partner and performance outfitter." 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.
| Company | Joined | Role | |
| Ally Financial | July 2024 | Founding Brand Partner and Jersey Sponsor | |
| TNT Sports | October 2024 | Exclusive Media Rights Partner | |
| Mediapro North America | November 2024 | Production and Hosting Partner | |
| State Farm | November 2024 | Presenting Sponsor for 2025 Club Selection Show Home and Auto Insurance Partner | |
| Wilson Sporting Goods | December 2024 | Official Ball Manufacturer | |
| Under Armour | December 2024 | Uniform Partner and Performance Outfitter | |
| Ticketmaster | December 2024 | Official Ticketing Partner | |
| Miller Lite | December 2024 | Official Beer Partner | |
| Vistaprint | January 2025 | Official Print and Design Partner | |
| Sephora | January 2025 | Official Beauty Partner | |
| Samsung Galaxy | January 2025 | Official Technology and Presenting Partner | |
| IcyHot | January 2025 | Official Recovery Partner | |
| Sprite | January 2025 | Presenting Partner of 2025 1v1 Tournament | |
| BODYARMOR | January 2025 | Official Sports Drink | |
| Wayfair | January 2025 | Official Home Furnishing Partner Namesake of Unrivaled 2025 Arena | |
| Opill | January 2025 | ||
| Morgan Stanley | January 2025 | Official Wealth and Asset Management Partner | |
| Mount Sinai Medical Center | January 2025 | Official Medical Provider | |
| Therabody | January 2025 |
Player salaries, revenue, and amenities
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. In December 2024 the president of Unrivaled, Alex Bazzell, announced that the league's total salary pool for the 2025 season was $8 million. The winner of the 2025 1v1 mid-season tournament will earn a minimum of $250,000.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 with an "equity pool that will vest over a four-year period."
For the 2025 season, players lived in a Miami apartment building with access to gym and practice facilities paid for by the league.
Name, image, likeness
In August 2024, it was announced that Paige Bueckers had signed a name, image, and likeness deal with Unrivaled, with plans for Bueckers to make her Unrivaled debut in the 2026 season. On April 13, 2025, the day before Bueckers was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, she signed a three-year deal to play in Unrivaled, with the first year of her Unrivaled contract reportedly paying her more than her entire four-year WNBA rookie contract. In December 2024, Unrivaled announced that Flau'jae Johnson also signed a similar deal to Bueckers' with the league.In July 21, 2025, Unrivaled announced the signing of 14 of the best women's college basketball players to NIL deals as part of "The Future is Unrivaled Class of 2025". The group includes Lauren Betts, Sienna Betts, Madison Booker, Audi Crooks, Azzi Fudd, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Hannah Hidalgo, Flau’jae Johnson, Ta'Niya Latson, Olivia Miles, Kiki Rice, Sarah Strong, Syla Swords, and JuJu Watkins.