Unrivaled’s Background
For anyone unfamiliar with the magnetic league, Unrivaled is a 3v3 winter basketball league based in Miami, founded by two current WNBA pros, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
The pair wanted to create a league that could not only provide an option for WNBA players to stay in the US during the offseason (previously a time in which most players had to travel overseas to compete overseas in order to supplement their WNBA salaries, which in the 2025 season ranged from the league minimum salary of $66k to the maximum salary of $249k), but also a league dedicated to prioritizing player experience. In terms of financial incentives, Unrivaled not only offers players an offseason source of income but also provides all players with equity investment in the league. Additionally, the season sponsored challenges like the two regular season free throw challenges, as well as the mid-season 1-on-1 tournament, offer players the chance to win cash prizes ranging from $25k to $200k.
Beyond the financial incentives, the league provides players with in-arena amenities and facilities, such as childcare (Collier and Stewart, along with several of the league’s other players, are mothers of young children), a glam room, a full gym, saunas and infrared treatments, and practice courts. While some of these facilities may sound like the bare minimum for a professional women’s sports team, most are not amenities provided by all WNBA teams, with players often having to secure their own childcare, and being expected to practice, train, and recover in non-team-owned facilities.
So far, the startup league has found plenty of success, adding two new teams (Breeze and Hive) to the existing six clubs (Rose, Mist, Vinyl, Phantom, Laces, and Lunar Owls) and bringing on several new major investors between the inaugural 2025 season and the sophomore 2026 season. The eight teams, which normally play all their games against one another at Unrivaled’s arena/headquarters in Miami, also took the show on the road this season with a trip to Philadelphia that broke attendance records for not only Xfinity Mobile Arena, but also set the record as the highest attended regular season professional women’s sports event of all time. The success of that night has inspired another roadtrip, this time to Brooklyn, where the season’s semifinals will take place.
The Leadup to the Playoffs
Both Hive and Lunar Owls attempted to make late-season pushes to make it to the postseason, but couldn’t quite clinch their spots. Instead, Vinyl secured its place in the playoffs with a Monday night win over the Lunar Owls. All eight current clubs will play in a quadruple header on Friday. The bottom two clubs will play each other, while the six playoff-bound clubs match up (Phantom v. Rose, Mist v. Vinyl, Laces v. Breeze), with the results determining their playoff seed positions.
The top two seeds get an automatic bye to the semifinals, which will be played next Monday, March 2, in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center. While Phantom’s record has already secured them a spot in the top two, the results of Mist and Laces’ respective matches on Friday will determine exactly who secures the other trip straight to the semis. The quarterfinals (Feb 28) and finals (March 4) will be played at Unrivaled’s home base at Sephora Arena in Miami.
The Playoff Teams
Phantom has lived up to its name this season, effectively spooking the competition, having lost only 3 games. Phantom’s dominance has been spearheaded by the dominant offense of Kelsey Plum and Aaliyah Boston and the veteran defense of Natasha Cloud. Last year, the team was eliminated before the playoffs; this year, they’re barreling into the postseason with incredible momentum, currently on a 6-game win streak. If they can keep up this level of play, they’ll be a fearsome opponent for whichever team has to face them in the semifinals.
A team filled with offensive powerhouses, the Mist have been one of the most fun teams to watch play this season. They’ve had the top-scoring offense of the 2026 season, with Monday’s win securing them three back-to-back 90+ point games. Founder Breanna Stewart and 1 on 1 tournament runner-up Alisha Gray have been staples of the team’s adaptable and fast-paced scoring. While their offense may steal the show, Veronica Burton, who leads Unrivaled in steals, and Alana Smith, the WNBA’s 2025 co-defensive player of the year, hold down the team on the defensive end of the floor. If the Mist can keep up these 90-point performances into the playoffs, they’ll be hard to beat.
Laces were the number one team for a long stretch of this 2026 season and were relentless in cementing their wins over the 7 other clubs. Jackie Young, Alyssa Thomas, and Brittany Sykes (who played a large part in leading her team to the championship when she played for Rose last year) have held the team down on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. However, a handful of losses, including their first back-to-back losses in their last two games, have seen the Laces slip from the top of the standings to third place. While they will certainly be trying to get back into the top 2 spots this Friday, the Laces seem to be risking having peaked too early in the season. But the Laces are nowhere near giving up, and will absolutely be looking to return to their earlier dominant form in time for the playoffs.
Breeze, one of two new clubs added between Unrivaled’s 2025 and 2026 seasons, has generated a lot of buzz this season. The club has the youngest average age among its players, with most of its players from the 2024 or 2025 WNBA draft classes. The club is captained by Paige Bueckers, who has carried much of the team’s offense this season, though teammate Rickea Jackson’s offensive prowess has shone bright as the season has progressed. The club is also home to the 20-year-old, 7-foot-tall French sensation Dominique Malonga, who has dunked the basketball not once but twice this Unrivaled season, the only player to do so. Despite Breeze’s talented players, their youth has proved to be an exploitable weakness in games against some of the more experienced teams. Their playoff run will be an interesting test to see whether youthful energy or inexperience ultimately wins out.
Rose were last year’s champions and started the season off dominant, but began to falter as the season progressed. However, the undeniable talent of Chelsea Gray, the 2026 1-on-1 tournament champion and last year’s finals MVP, has helped her team get back on track in the last few games of the season to secure a place in the final. Mid-season injuries and trades meant that Rose had a spot on their roster open, and they didn’t squander it, bringing back Unrivaled’s 2025 defensive player of the year, and key component of Rose’s previous championship team, Angel Reese. Rose is hoping they worked out the kinks earlier in the season and are in position to be playing their peak basketball during the playoffs.
Vinyl currently has the worst record of the remaining teams, although a win on Friday could even things up for them. However, Vinyl’s record paints a limited picture. Vinyl entered with an inconsistent record into last year’s playoffs, having to play in the first round against the number 1 seeds in the Lunar Owls, who had only lost a single game in the 2025 season. The Vinyl managed to upset the top-seeded team before they ultimately fell to the Rose in the championship; The Vinyl hopes they can pull off some upsets once again. And they certainly can’t be counted out with several strong players making up the team, including Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard, who both were key components of Vinyl’s run to the finals in 2025, in addition to rising star Rae Burrell, who is having the best season of her professional basketball career.
Unrivaled has been a recent breath of fresh air in the world of women’s sports (especially as the stalled negotiations between the WNBA and the players’ association leave the future of this summer’s basketball season uncertain). Whether you’ve been watching all season or you’re just tuning in for the playoffs, Unrivaled is a league to continue to keep an eye out for. As they continue to grow and find new and exciting ways to improve the league for players and fans alike, I can’t wait to see what Unrivaled’s future has in store.
Catch the playoffs on network channels on TNT and TruTV, streamed live on HBO Max, and for international fans, streamed live on YouTube.