Unrivaled (basketball)
Professional women's three-on-three basketball league From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Unrivaled is a women's professional three-on-three basketball league in the United States.
Current season, competition or edition: 2025 Unrivaled season | |
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| Sport | Basketball (three-on-three) |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 6, 2023 |
| Founder | Napheesa Collier Breanna Stewart |
| First season | 2025 |
| President | Alex Bazzell |
| Commissioner | Micky Lawler |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Countries | United States |
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida |
| Most recent champion(s) | Rose BC |
| Most titles | Rose BC (1 title) |
| TV partner(s) |
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| Official website | Unrivaled |
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.[1] Unrivaled's inaugural season began on January 17, 2025, in Medley, Florida near Miami,[2] with plans for the 2026 season to have games played across the United States.[3]
The league announced Stewart as the first signed player on July 9, 2024.[4]
The league's first ever championship was won by Rose BC on March 17, 2025 [5]
Rules and regulations
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Perspective
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.[6][a] In Unrivaled's implementation, 11 points are added to the leading team's (or tied teams') 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.[8]
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,[6] and the length is also noticeably shorter, 72 ft instead of 94 ft (29 m) of college and professional competitions or the high school standard of 84 ft (26 m).[9] In metric terms, it is identical to two FIBA 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.[6][10]
Another change made in Unrivaled to free throws resulting from personal fouls. Players will only take one free throw after being fouled, earning 2 points if fouled on a two-point shot or 3 points for a three-point shot.[10] Free throws earned when fouled on a made basket, will still just be worth one point as in the WNBA.[10] Players will foul out after six personal fouls. However, if a team only has 3 remaining available players, no one will foul out.[10] 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.[10]
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, the inaugural six team names were announced.[11] Teams do not have geographic connections, although the branding was created with a consideration for potential future sale and relocation of the teams.[11] The rosters for each team are decided by a selection committee that sorts players based on their position and skill level.[2][12] Each team will have a head coach, an assistant coach, and a team manager.[13]
Teams and head coaches
| Team | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|
| Laces BC | 2025 | Andrew Wade |
| Lunar Owls BC | 2025 | DJ Sackmann |
| Mist BC | 2025 | Phil Handy |
| Phantom BC | 2025 | Adam Harrington |
| Rose BC | 2025 | Nola Henry |
| Vinyl BC | 2025 | Teresa Weatherspoon |
Business
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Perspective
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.[2][7] 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.[2][7][14] Also in May 2024, Unrivaled announced that they had closed their seed funding.[14] 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.[15][16] In January 2025, Coco Gauff also announced her investment in Unrivaled.[17] At the end of Unrivaled's inaugural regular season, the league announced that NBA All-Star, Stephen Curry, had also joined as an investor.[18]
In July 2024, Ally Financial was announced as Unrivaled's first and founding brand partner.[19][20] In December 2024, Under Armour was announced as the league's "official uniform partner and performance outfitter."[21] 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.[21]
| Company | Joined | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ally Financial | July 2024 | Founding Brand Partner and Jersey Sponsor | [19][20] |
| TNT Sports | October 2024 | Exclusive Media Rights Partner | [22] |
| Mediapro North America | November 2024 | Production and Hosting Partner | [23] |
| State Farm | Presenting Sponsor for 2025 Club Selection Show Home and Auto Insurance Partner |
[24] | |
| Wilson Sporting Goods | December 2024 | Official Ball Manufacturer | [25] |
| Under Armour | Uniform Partner and Performance Outfitter | [21] | |
| Ticketmaster | Official Ticketing Partner | ||
| Miller Lite | Official Beer Partner | [26] | |
| Vistaprint | January 2025 | Official Print and Design Partner | [27] |
| Sephora | Official Beauty Partner | [28] | |
| Samsung Galaxy | Official Technology and Presenting Partner | [29] | |
| IcyHot | Official Recovery Partner | [30] | |
| Sprite | Presenting Partner of 2025 1v1 Tournament | [31] | |
| BODYARMOR | Official Sports Drink | [31] | |
| Wayfair | Official Home Furnishing Partner Namesake of Unrivaled 2025 Arena |
[32] | |
| Opill | |||
| Morgan Stanley | Official Wealth and Asset Management Partner | [33] | |
| Mount Sinai Medical Center | Official Medical Provider | [34] | |
| Therabody | [35] |
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.[14][36] In December 2024 the president of Unrivaled, Alex Bazzell, announced that the league's total salary pool for the 2025 season was $8 million.[37][b] The winner of the 2025 1v1 mid-season tournament will earn a minimum of $250,000.[38][39]
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[7] with an "equity pool that will vest over a four-year period."[40]
For the 2025 season, players lived in a Miami apartment building (about five minutes away from the main facility) with access to gym and practice facilities paid for by the league.[37][41]
Name, image, likeness
In August, it was announced that Paige Bueckers had signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Unrivaled, with plans for Bueckers to make her Unrivaled debut in the 2026 season.[c][43] In December 2024, Unrivaled announced that Flau'jae Johnson also signed a similar deal to Bueckers' with the league.[44]
Unrivaled leadership
Alex Bazzell, a renowned basketball skills coach and Collier's husband, is the first and current president of Unrivaled.[14] In June 2024, Micky Lawler, a former Women's Tennis Association president, was named the commissioner of the league.[45][46] On November 11, 2024, Clare Duwelius (former general manager of the Minnesota Lynx) was announced as executive vice president and general manager of the league and Luke Cooper, the president of basketball operations.[47]
Broadcasting
The 2025 season is being aired on TNT and TruTV, and streamed on Max in the United States.[48]
Notes
- This differs from FIBA 3x3 basketball competitions, which use a half-court and a single 10-minute period, with the possibility of overtime.[7]
- At the time of signing, Bueckers had two more years of NCAA eligibility. She was expected to end her college career after the 2024–25 season and make her Unrivaled debut after the 2025 WNBA season.[42]
References
External links
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