All statistics and records are per Reflector Press Time.
Originally founded in 2023, the inaugural season of Unrivaled basketball finally began back in January. Unrivaled is the first of its kind with its dynamic 3-on-3 format and 1-on-1 in-season tournament.
Unrivaled was founded in 2023 by WNBA and U.S. Olympic stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who wanted to give female basketball players an opportunity to play in the off-season without having to travel abroad. According to its website, Unrivaled has the highest average salary in women’s sports history.
The league was drafted into six basketball clubs back in December 2024: Rose, Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom and Vinyl, each team holding six players. From the draft, I thought Mist Basketball Club would be unfairly stacked against the rest of the league with superstars like Stewart and Jewell Lloyed along with the rising stars in Rickea Jackson and Dijonai Carrington. However, through five weeks of games they have only gone 2-6. The other co-founder, Collier, and her team Lunar Owls Basketball Club have been off to a much more dominant start, going 8-0 to start the season.
In addition to the Owls’ regular-season dominance, Collier also took home the 1-on-1 crown after several hard-fought battles with Aaliyah Edwards and other forwards in the tournament. This tournament was such an exciting feature of Unrivaled, as it allows each individual player to showcase their individual skill set even more so than in 3-on-3. It was thrilling to watch upsets like 8-seed Aaliyah Edwards taking down three top-seeded opponents to reach the finals before falling to Collier. The hype around the tournament was unreal for the fans as well as the players, especially with a total prize pool of $350,000. What was also unique about the prize pool was that the runner-up, quarter-finalists and the winners’ teammates all received some of the winnings which definitely contributed to the competitive nature of the tournament.
In addition to almost two months of in-season play, Unrivaled will also have a post-season tournament March 16-17 with the top four teams in the league. The format of this tournament is the only thing about Unrivaled I have found a flaw with. The finals are currently listed as three total games: two semi-final matchups and one final. While there are only six teams in the league total, it is understandable the tournament is small, but I wish the matchups were best two out of three just to make it a little bit more exciting. However, the three-game format will keep the stakes high and the pace of the games fast which has been the theme of Unrivaled so far.
While the basketball has been incredible to watch, something I can almost appreciate more is the time and care put into developing both the league and the facilities they are using while in Miami. The Unrivaled facility includes a fully-equipped gym, saunas, ice baths, individual club locker rooms and childcare services. Considering the league was founded not only by two women’s basketball players, but also mothers, it is not surprising that they pulled out all the stops to make sure the players are taken care of during their time at Unrivaled.
