Unrivaled Is A Great Source Of Unlikely Athletic Friends

What is the point of Unrivaled? Or rather, how seriously should it be taken? It’s easy to understand what the players get out of it: Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart founded the startup basketball league in 2023 as an offseason option for a few dozen WNBA players, offering them equity and competitive salaries to play 3x3 games on a Miami soundstage. For them it’s a convenient way to get paid, stay in shape, and remain in the U.S. during the winter months, when their earning opportunities have historically been overseas. 

As a media member, I still don’t exactly know how to value Unrivaled as the league begins its second season. The 3x3 game differs so much from WNBA basketball that Unrivaled’s utility as a gauge for player development is dubious. Last year, stars who had dismal Unrivaled seasons—Stewart, Aliyah Boston, Satou Sabally—went on to have their typically excellent WNBA seasons. It's certainly an appealing opportunity for media members to go to Miami in the winter: Last February, I watched games at the Unrivaled facility and found myself genuinely taken by the atmosphere and in-person product. But I also felt kind of silly attending press conferences afterward and asking players questions about a game that still did not feel totally “real.” From the practices I observed—practices of wildly varying rigor—I get the sense that some players take Unrivaled more seriously than others. It won’t shock any women’s basketball fans to know that Collier’s team, the Lunar Owls, practiced the hardest.