At a time when women’s basketball popularity is at an all-time high, Unrivaled has been bringing it to another level. The three-on-three league created by WNBA stars and University of Connecticut alums Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier is bringing together some of the best players in the league to compete in different formats. The three-versus-three and one-versus-one games brought in tons of exposure to the league, and fans are getting a new lens into women’s basketball besides the traditional WNBA season.
The 3-on-3 format
Instead of the normal five versus five that is played in a WNBA season, Unrivaled goes with a three-on-three style of basketball. There are eight teams of six players who rotate in throughout the game. Because of the three-versus-three style, the game moves at a faster pace, and there is a lot more spacing to open up every possession. This can really get you to see what a player is capable of because they are able to touch the ball more, get more looks, and are more forced into a one-on-one kind of situation. Something else that differs from the WNBA is that in Unrivaled, there are only three seven-minute quarters, and then an untimed fourth quarter that is played to a winning score. That means that the team that’s winning at the end of the third gets 11 added to it, and both teams have to get to that score first. When I watched Unrivaled for the first time, this was a bit confusing at first, but once I got it, I actually enjoyed it more than a regular fourth quarter. It doesn’t take as long, and it’s always exciting to see who will get to the score first, especially if it is a close game.
New stars and new fans
When we think of women’s basketball, we think of the big stars that come with it. Over the past few years, there have been so many new faces of the game, like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, etc. With Unrivaled, we get to see them in a play in a different format and with new teammates. Stars like Bueckers and Reese are known to have very strong and loyal fanbases. Because of these fanbases, they are bringing in tons of new fans of Unrivaled, which in turn brings more eyes to the league. For example, the Breeze Basketball Club, or as they call themselves, “Team Youngins,” has many new, young players like Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink, and Kate Martin. All of these players have big social media followings and have brought in more traction to Unrivaled.
the money
One of the first things many people think about when it comes to the WNBA is their salary and how these women do not get paid what they should. In Unrivaled, that is not a problem. Players are making much more money in a three-month period than they would in their whole WNBA season. For comparison, the average WNBA player salary is $130,000, with rookies starting at $66,000. In Unrivaled, no one makes less than six figures, with salaries starting at $220,000, with star players like Bueckers making even more at around $350,000. Not only are the salaries much larger, but players can win even more money in certain tournaments. In the one-on-one tournament, the winning player wins $200,000, and every player on the Unrivaled championship team will win $100,000, which is an increase of $50,000 from last year. Unrivaled also held a free-throw contest for the first five games of the season, and whoever had the best percentage won another $50,000. This begs the question of why a startup league can pay the players a respectable amount, but the WNBA can’t?
the locations
Instead of going all around the country every week, Unrivaled plays most of its games at Sephora Arena in Miami, Florida. Being that it is the dead of winter, I, for one, think this is a great idea. Sephora Arena was built for Unrivaled in 2025 and includes just over 1,000 seats, which was expanded from last year’s 850 seats. It includes a spirit tunnel for the players’ iconic tunnel walks, making fans have a closer experience to being on the court because of the number of seats. While most of the games are played in Miami, Unrivaled did have a game in Philadelphia on Jan. 30 in the sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena, which holds over 21,000 seats. The attendance broke the professional women’s basketball attendance record. To me, this was an iconic moment, and watching all the fans be there and be so supportive and hyped over the game was amazing. It really showed how far women’s basketball has come, and how well Unrivaled has been promoted and well-received. Besides going to Philly, the Unrivaled Semifinals were held in the Big Apple at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There was a sold-out crowd of 18,000, and it was an amazing atmosphere to show off women’s sports.
overseas
What I think is one of the most important factors as to why Unrivaled is doing well for women’s basketball is that players no longer have to go overseas in the offseason. In past years, many WNBA players have had to go play for teams overseas to make money because their WNBA salary is not enough. When I think of players going overseas, the first thing I think of is Brittney Griner getting stuck in a Russian prison, and the whole reason she was there was to play overseas. Because of Unrivaled, players no longer need to go to another country, and they can be able to play with other WNBA players and teammates and can make good money in the process. Who wouldn’t want to live in Miami for a couple of months! It all works out!
1-on-1 tournament
One of my favorite things about Unrivaled is the one-on-one tournament they have near the end of the season. 16 players are seeded and play 1-on-1 against each other until they get to the finals, where there is a best-of-three elimination. The winner of the tournament wins $200,000. Chelsea Gray won the 2026 tournament, and Collier won last year. I remember seeing a quote from Collier that said she just won her whole WNBA salary in one game. To me, that shows what the WNBA needs to fix, and how Unrivaled is doing that. I really love how they implemented this into the season, and it gets you to see another style of playing and what the players really have in their bag. This tournament also caught the eye of many on social media, and I saw so many clips and TikToks about it, and what a great idea it was. A lot of people were also talking about why the NBA doesn’t do anything like this, and this is a great point. People want to see something fresh and different, and this is a great example of doing that.
I hope this article gives you a little more insight into Unrivaled and what they are doing right for women’s basketball. Hopefully, the league will expand even more in the next few years and become an even bigger sensation for women’s basketball and women’s sports.