Professional women's basketball officially entered a new era on Friday when Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, tipped off its inaugural 2025 season. The very first game in league history featured a thrilling comeback win for Lunar Owls BC capped by a walk-off 3-pointer by Skylar Diggins-Smith.
The moment was years in the making for Stewart and Collier, who embarked on this vision to give WNBA players a chance to stay home and compete against the best talent in the world during the offseason, while also taking ownership in the rise of women's sports. All 36 initial players in Unrivaled will receive equity in the league.
Starting a professional sports league from scratch, even one as relatively small in scope as Unrivaled, was not an easy task. The star duo has received plenty of support along the way, including from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who gave her blessing to the project early on.
"She was really supportive," Collier said in an interview with Boardroom. "Obviously she has a lot of business connections, so she was wanting to connect us with those. She obviously has experience running a league, so kinda giving us the ins and outs of what you're gonna need. Things you don't think about, like gameday security, medical stuff in the area, just a lot of those tips and tricks. And then just asked if there was any way that we needed her support in any way, and so she was really open with that from the beginning."
Unrivaled is not a direct competitor to the WNBA since it is an offseason league. However, the upstart league's operation and amenities are expected to put pressure on the WNBA to raise its standards.
"They literally are laying out the red carpet," Minnesota Lynx and Lunar Owls BC guard Courtney Williams said earlier this month. "We have everything available to become the best versions [of ourselves], the best basketball players we could be."
"Unrivaled is showing that you don't need a lot of time to pull resources together to be able to put a good product out there," Phoenix Mercury and Phantom BC center Brittney Griner added. "Being happy with what we already have is not gonna fly here at Unrivaled and I think that's what's going to help the W -- or it should, hopefully … help the W push forward."
The timing of Unrivaled's debut season and the players' experience in Miami is particularly noteworthy given the current labor negotiations. Back in October, the WNBPA announced its intentions to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement at the end of the 2025 season.
The WNBPA and the league have already started talks over a new CBA, with the players stating that they want "transformational change" that goes beyond higher salaries. Those discussions will certainly be shaped by what happens off the court in Unrivaled over the next few months.
