Unparalleled, a new winter 3×3 basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart And Napheesa Collierannounced its rosters Wednesday, marking the final step before its first season starting in January.
The league, which begins Jan. 17, aims to keep players fresh and provide a national alternative for athletes looking to compete and supplement their income during the WNBA offseason.
Unrivaled divides a pool of 34 players into six teams, with two teams having spots still open on the wild card list. To determine the rosters, players were organized into six groups – A through F – with each group including guards, wings or bigs. The league’s six coaches then worked together to select one player from each group and assign him to one of six clubs. Coaches set rosters without knowing which team they would coach and worked to create full rosters.
Unrivaled features many of the best players in the WNBA. It promises to pay the highest average salary in the history of the women’s professional sports league and will grant shares to its first participants, allowing athletes to benefit from them for years to come. The league has a long list of high-profile investors, including Alex Morgan, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Megan Rapinoe and former ESPN and Turner presidents John Skipper and David Levy.
Vinyl (trained by Teresa Weatherspoon):
Arike Ogunbowaleguard, Dallas Wings
Rhyne Howardwing, Atlanta Dream
Aliyah Boston, tall, Indiana fever
Jordan Canadaguard, Dream
Rae Burrell, wing, Los Angeles Sparks
Dearica Hambybig, sparks
Rose (trained by Nola Henry):
Chelsea Grayguard, Las Vegas Aces
Kahleah Copper, wing, Phoenix Mercury
Angel ReeseBefore, Chicago Sky
Britney Sykesguard, Washington Mystics
Lexie Hullwing, fever
Azurá Stevens, large, Sparks
Mist (coached by Phil Handy):
Jewell Loydguard, Seattle Storm
DiJonai Carringtonwing, Connecticut Sun
Stewart, tall, New York Freedom
Courtney Vanderslootguard, freedom
Rickea Jackson, wing, Sparks
Aaliyah Edwardsbig, mystical
Lunar Owls (coached by DJ Sackmann):
Skylar Diggins SmithGuard, Storm
Allisha Gray, wing, Dream
Collar, large, Minnesota Lynx
Natasha Cloudguard, Mercury
Shakira Austin, tall, mystics
Wildcard
Phantom (trained by Adam Harrington):
Jackie Youngguard, Ace
Marina Mabrey, wing, Sun
Satou Sabally, large, Wings
Tiffany Hayesguard, Ace
Brittney Griner, tall, Mercury
Wildcard
Laces (coached by Andrew Wade):
Kelsey Plumguard, Ace
Kayla McBridewing, Lynx
Alyssa Thomasbig, Sun
Courtney Williams, guard, Lynx
Kate Martin, wing, Ace
Stephanie Dolsonbig, mystical
Unrivaled’s six coaches emphasize player development, with several having filled this role in both NBA or WNBA staff. Prior to becoming head coach of the Sky, Weatherspoon was a player development coach and assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. Handy, a three-time NBA champion, has been an NBA assistant coach for over a decade. Harrington is a former NBA player with a decade of experience as a shooting coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder as well as an assistant coach and director of player development with the Brooklyn Nets.
Wade most recently served as the Mystics’ head video coordinator and player development assistant. Henry has collegiate coaching experience and recently completed his fourth season in the WNBA as an assistant coach with the Sparks. Sackmann is an acclaimed coach in the NBA and WNBA with over 15 years of experience.
Once the rosters were created, the coaches were assigned one of six teams.
The season begins in January, with Collier and Stewart’s teams facing off in the opening game. It will last eight weeks and end with a championship set for March 17.
In mid-October, the league announced that it had reached a multi-year agreement with TNT Sportsand will see its games broadcast on TNT, TruTV and streamed on Max. The games will be broadcast on TNT on Monday and Friday nights, as well as Saturday nights on TruTV.
In partnership with Mediapro North America, Unrivaled will host the competition in a new, nearly 130,000 square foot state-of-the-art production facility in Miami. The facility will include various spaces including meeting rooms, training facilities, a cafeteria with nutritionists and a child care room.
The format of Unrivaled is a modified 3×3 game. The international version is a half-court game played with 21 players, while unrivaled matches will be played over four quarters. Unrivaled will also be played on a compressed full court approximately 70 feet long. The extra space is designed to give players the space to showcase their skills and also reduce wear and tear on their bodies.
WNBA players have historically played overseas during the offseason to supplement their income from their domestic salaries. However, playing year-round puts a strain on their bodies and requires personal sacrifice. It also often keeps WNBA players out of sight, and therefore out of mind, for most of the year, hindering their market value and the growth of the sport for months.
Unrivaled still has an open invitation to Clark regarding his participation in the league’s inaugural season, a source with knowledge of the situation said.
This comes despite a report from ESPN indicating that Clark would not play in his inaugural season.
Clark is currently not among the league’s 34 participants. League president Alex Bazzell previously told Sportico “we will always have a spot in the lineup” for Clark. Skipper, who is also an advisor to the league, confirmed on a recent episode of “Pablo Torre Discovers Out” that Unrivaled was in discussions with last year’s Rookie of the Year.
It’s no surprise that Unrivaled was interested in signing Clark. Clark and Collier have the same representation (Excel Sports Management), the league and Clark have at least one common partner (State Farm) and Clark has proven to be a force capable of generating significant economic growth. All this adds to his impact on the field. However, she did not sign.
“You look at Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescuthere are so many that are amazing,” Harrington said Wednesday. His team, the Phantom Basketball Club, has an open roster spot and could theoretically roster Clark. “They are obviously incredible needle movers and incredible young women and basketball players. At any point, it would be exciting to add players of this caliber.
Other WNBA stars including A’ja Wilson and Ionescu, have also not joined Unrivaled yet. Even if they don’t participate in Unrivaled’s inaugural season, they could still play in the league in future years.
UConn star Paige Bueckers also won’t play in the league this season, although she signed a zero deal with the league, making her the first NCAA athlete to receive equity in a league.
This article was originally published in Athletics.
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