Unrivaled Basketball League Is Helping the WNBA’s Brightest Stars Grow Their Brands

The women’s 3-on-3 basketball league tips off on Friday, Jan. 17.

Unrivaled / Courtesy of Unrivaled

Unrivaled’s inaugural eight-week season officially makes its debut on Friday, Jan. 17, and the start of the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league is one we’ve been eagerly anticipating since the team rosters were announced in late November 2024.

What is Unrivaled?

Cofounded by WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled will provide WNBA players an alternative to playing overseas in the offseason while offering the highest average salary ever in the history of women’s sports. The Miami-based league, made up of six different teams, including the Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose and Vinyl, features six players on each.

The 3-on-3 basketball league will be played on a slightly smaller court than that of the WNBA, as the compressed full-court is 70 feet x 50 feet. Games will include four quarters and take place within a 1-hour broadcast window.

Unrivaled basketball league salary

We recently had the opportunity to chat with Stewart, a 2024 WNBA Champion and one-time SI Swimsuit model, and Collier, a two-time Olympian, to learn all about the ins and outs of Unrivaled. As elite athletes and moms, Stewart and Collier are excited to help other women in the league stay home with their families during the seven month break from the WNBA, rather than traveling abroad to supplement their incomes.

Breanna Stewart / Courtesy of Unrivaled

“The U. S. is where we’re going to get our biggest investment and [we’re] really betting on ourselves to get to this point where hopefully this is going to be one of the most competitive leagues in the world,” Stewart says of Unrivaled. “Our target is to be the highest-paid league.”

By offering the highest average salary ever in the history of women’s sports, plus equity in the league to each of the 36 players on this year’s inaugural roster, Stewart hopes Unrivaled will make athletes more financially independent while allowing players to simultaneously grow their brands.

“W hen you’re playing WNBA, there’s only specific partners that can really team up with the league and sometimes work with and now we’re able to have investments from other partners and continue to work on branding on and off the court,” the New York Liberty forward explains. “And as much as the games and the 3-on-3 and the skill behind it is important, we want to make sure that players have the time and the resources and the content captures to build their brand.”

While the average WNBA salary was approximately $119,590 in 2024, the majority of athletes these days supplement their income with various brand deals and sponsorship opportunities outside of their performances on the court. Unrivaled hopes to help increase both baseline salaries and brand opportunities for the league’s players.

“ Branding is such a huge part of being an athlete nowadays,” Collier, a forward for the Minnesota Lynx, notes. “Most of our money is made off of the court. And so being overseas [during the WNBA offseason], your branding kind of goes dark because you can’t do activations and you’re not seen as much.”

Napheesa Collier / Courtesy of Unrivaled

Plus, that boost in branding means more in-depth content for women’s basketball supporters, as Unrivaled is committed to providing a great experience for fans.

“ You’re just going to get such a deep dive into the athletes and who they are,” Collier teases. “We’re going to have podcasts, behind the scenes, get ready with me, docuseries, all that in-depth stuff. And, you know, on top of that, it’s going to be just great competition and great basketball to watch. So I think, as a whole, the fan experience is going to be really fun.”

The WNBA had a record-setting season in 2024 with 54 million unique viewers, and Stewart strongly believes that Unrivaled will contribute to the growth of professional women’s basketball moving forward. Thus far, the league has teamed up with brand sponsors including Sephora, Ally Financial, TNT Sports, Ticketmaster, Samsung Galaxy, Sprite, BODYARMOR and others, all of which will help expand Unrivaled’s reach.

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier / Courtesy of Unrivaled

Outside of her main goal this season (which is to win alongside her Mist Basketball Club teammates), Stewart aims to draw in consistent viewership. Long term, the 30-year-old New York native hopes that Unrivaled athletes, like Angel Reese, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Cameron Brink, can have salaries “close to seven figures.”

“Our goal is to be a sustainable business where we are building for the future as well,” Collier, 28, adds. “So we’re hoping to break even more barriers where we can continue to offer high salaries and grow in that every year. We are definitely in it for the long haul.”

Unrivaled basketball schedule

Find Unrivaled’s 2025 season schedule here, and be sure to tune in on Friday, Jan. 17, when the Mist tip off against the Lunar Owls at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. Following the first matchup, the Rose will face off against the Vinyl at 8 p.m. ET.

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