With the rosters for the Unrivaled teams just announced, I will be sharing my thoughts and opinions on the players, and how I think the chemistry between them will evolve. For those who don’t know, Unrivaled is a newly founded professional women’s basketball league, giving players a place to play in the offseason without going overseas. The games are played in a 3-on-3 format, with the inaugural season beginning last January. With an increasing amount of popularity, more of the WNBA’s popular players have decided to join the league for its second season. Unrivaled’s second season will tip off in January 2026, and fans are eagerly awaiting its start. For now, here are my personal opinions on all eight of the league’s teams.
- Breeze
1. Paige Bueckers
2. Rickea Jackson
3. Dominique Malonga
4. Aari McDonald
5. Kate Martin
6. Cameron Brink
My take: Immediately, the name that pops out to me is Paige Bueckers. The well-known star, despite just finishing her rookie season, put up astounding numbers: 19.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG. She is arguably one of the most well-rounded players in the league, and thus will be able to play with a variety of players who all have different styles. Following this, Rickea Jackson is a fun name to be paired with Bueckers. She is a taller, bigger guard, who can play forward as well. Paired with Bueckers’ passing abilities, Jackson can be a prolific scorer as well (averaging 14.7 PPG), so these two will be set to dominate the court. Lastly, another standout name is Cameron Brink. Coming back from ACL surgery this season, she has finally gotten back into the groove. A tall shot blocker, with improved range to the three-point line, she will be a defensive nightmare for opposing teams. Overall, the Breeze are the youngest team in the league. However, while they lack a veteran presence in the locker room, I don’t think this will be too detrimental to their success, mainly because of the play of Bueckers.
- Hive
1. Kelsey Mitchell
2. Sonia Citron
3. Ezi Magbegor
4. Natisha Hiedeman
5. Saniya Rivers
6. Monique Billings
My take: Kelsey Mitchell will be an immediate threat for this team. Despite not being as well-rounded as Bueckers, her scoring is even more efficient. During the past WNBA season with Caitlin Clark’s absence, she provided a scoring boost for the Fever, averaging 20.2 PPG. It seems like the league had no answer to her shooting and quickness on offense. Not to mention, she has a great deal of veteran experience. Following her, Saniya Rivers will be a name to keep an eye on. She will provide a lot of defensive prowess to the team. While scoring is something she needs to work on, her energy is contagious on the defense end. Whether that’s steals, or even grabbing rebounds, the two-way game between her and Mitchell should be fun to watch, as she could create even more offensive possessions for the Hive. Overall, with a few more veteran names, players like Citron and Rivers are still on the younger side. This is a good mix in my opinion, but I do think the team could benefit from having another scorer who can create her own shot, ideally, a post player. Regardless, Mitchell has the tools to put the team on her back.
- Laces
1. Jackie Young
2. Brittney Sykes
3. Alyssa Thomas
4. Jordin Canada
5. Maddy Siegrist
6. Naz Hillmon
My take: On this team, they will look to Jackie Young as a scorer and facilitator. Averaging just over five assists per game this past season, paired with Alyssa Thomas, this duo should be able to facilitate for everyone on the team. Thomas, averaging 9.2 APG, can get Young open shots, in addition to Canada and Sykes, who are slashers that can finish well at the rim. The one area of weakness that I’m concerned about is having a consistent scorer other than Young. While Sykes averages just under 15 PPG, she exerts most of her energy on the defensive end, as shown by being named to the WNBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams throughout her career. Lastly, I do think that Hillmon will be a weaker point for this team. Despite being a solid post presence, there’s not too many special skills that she’ll bring to the court. Due to this, the Laces will have to rely on their big-name players to win games.
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- Lunar Owls
1. Skylar Diggins
2. Marina Mabrey
3. Napheesa Collier
4. Rachel Banham
5. Rebecca Allen
6. Aaliyah Edwards
My take: This team is one of the most veteran groups in the league. With their average age being around 30, they have the knowledge and experience that can only come with playing in the WNBA for the amount of time that they have. Even though Unrivaled is a totally new experience, they will have locker room leadership, and skills to guide the team on a path to success. When pairing that with Skylar Diggins, Marina Mabrey, and Napheesa Collier, players who are all highly skilled on the offensive end, they will be an opponent’s worst nightmare to defend. Aaliyah Edwards, the youngest on the team, has emerged as a solid forward presence, whose game should pair nicely with Diggins, who will be able to pass to Edwards in spots that feel most comfortable. Overall, the Lunar Owls are an intriguing team with all the pieces to make a championship run—not to mention the competitive spirit they get from Mabrey.
- Mist
1. Allisha Gray
2. Breanna Stewart
3. Alanna Smith
4. Veronica Burton
5. Arike Ogunbowale
6. Li Yueru
My take: Breanna Stewart (18.3 PPG) and Arike Ogunbowale (15.5 PPG) are going to take a defense-minded team to a stop. Between Stewart, a nightmare player at 6’4” with the skills of a guard, and Ogunbowale, a strong shooter with the knack for making bigtime shots, this is the definition of a dynamic Duo. Furthermore, they have Veronica Burton, who just won the WNBA’s Most improved player, along with Li Yueru who stands at a menacing 6’7”. In my opinion, this team has most of the pieces to lead to a successful season. Not to mention they have Alanna Smith, who was named the 2025 co-WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. It’s just hard to find missing pieces for the Mist, and they should be one of the most fun teams to watch, though it will likely take a few games to find the right pairings for certain players.
- Phantom
1. Kelsey Plum
2. Satou Sabally
3. Aliyah Boston
4. Dana Evans
5. Natasha Cloud
6. Kiki Iriafen
My take: The Phantom are another team who have a number of assets. Notably, they have Kelsey Plum, a fierce lefty guard who can light it up from beyond the arc. Natasha Cloud, another prolific shooter, will help to stretch the defense out, creating more lanes for drives to the hoop. Aliyah Boston provides a nice presence down low, both for scoring and rebounding. She stepped up her game this past year, averaging 15 PPG and 8.2 RPG. This also isn’t her first year playing for Unrivaled. While she isn’t a veteran in terms of her age, she will help the Phantom with this new format. In general, the Phantom have a nice mix of veteran and young players (Iriafen), all of whom can contribute in different ways to the game. Still, most eyes will be on Plum, and it will be interesting to see how she looks to lead the team.
- Rose
1. Chelsea Gray
2. Kahleah Copper
3. Azurá Stevens
4. Sug Sutton
5. Lexie Hull
6. Shakira Austin
My take: Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper will be the names to watch on this team. Copper, arguably one of the fastest and most athletic players in the WNBA, will be paired with Gray, who is confidently coming off a WNBA Championship with the Aces. She is someone with years of experience, in addition to averaging 11 PPG and 5.4 assists. Lexi Hull will primarily play off the ball, and is a catch and shoot three-point specialist. She will thrive from having the defense suck in on Stevens and Austin, giving her more room from behind the arc. In my eyes, they have a pretty solid team in the sense of having a player to fill all roles in the game of basketball. Depending on who gets played with who, this also gives Sug Sutton the opportunity to increase her scoring totals, she has the ability to do so and not just be a facilitator. Both in college, and in the WNBA, she has been a pass first guard, though I think that the 3-on-3 factor may force her to create her own shot.
- Vinyl
1. Courtney Williams
2. Rhyne Howard
3. Dearica Hamby
4. Erica Wheeler
5. Rae Burrell
6. Brittney Griner
My take: This is another team heavy with veteran leadership. Most notably, this includes: Erica Wheeler, Britney Griner, and Courtney Williams. Wheeler and Williams are both shorter, flashy guards. Wheeler is by all means a veteran, with a fun style of play. While this team is decent, I do think their go-to scoring option, Rhyne Howard (17.5 PPG), isn’t as strong of a player as others on the opposing teams. Still, I do feel like this team has the heart and hustle to match up with all seven of the other teams. Most importantly, however, I will mention that Hamby had an extremely successful career in Unrivaled last year, averaging close to 20 PPG for the Vinyl. She will be a focus defensively for all of the opposing teams, so it’s important that she adjusts her game accordingly, helping to lead those around her.
To conclude, I think that the title could be taken by any number of these teams. However, if I were to pick one, I would have to go with the Mist. All areas of the game are covered by a number of their players, and I think they have the least amount of weaknesses. Still, this is speculative, as factors like team chemistry, new pairings, and adjusting to 3-on-3 will factor into team success. With the countdown of the season at just a couple months, it is set to be riveting basketball. Don’t miss it!
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