The New York Liberty escaped the Target Center with a 80-77 win over the Lynx in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals Wednesday night, jumping ahead with a 2-1 lead in the series. While Sabrina Ionescu’s long three in the dying seconds to give New York the lead will be remembered the most, the comeback was led by Breanna Stewart’s efforts. For Minnesota, Napheesa Collier continued to make key plays on defense and offense.
Both Collier and Stewart led their team in points – Stewart had 30 and Collier had 22. Stewart scored the most points in Liberty Finals history, while Collier set the record for most points scored in a single playoff run. The two went head-to-head all night, with Stewart even trying to call Collier out for a technical foul. While they were rivals last night, the two are now one game closer to playing in their joint venture: Unrivaled Basketball.
What is Unrivaled?
Announced ahead of the 2023 All-Star Game, Unrivaled is an offseason 3x3 league based in the United States for the WNBA’s top players. Since the WNBA’s first season in 1997, players have signed to play overseas in the offseason. While there are plenty of motivations to play overseas, the primary reason has always been wages.
Now, there is a new prioritization rule in the league, stating that third-year players abroad must return back in time for preseason from their overseas club to their WNBA team, or else they cannot play for the season. The rule is not player-friendly and significantly affects their prospects playing abroad.
Stewart and Collier, long-time veterans, knew this. And that’s why they founded Unrivaled. Not only does it allow players to play in the United States in the offseason, it’s also a shorter season than alternate leagues and will finish in time for training camp. The inaugural season is set to tip off in January 2025.
Stewart and Collier are set to play in the league’s first season along with other stars, including Kelsey Plum, Jewell Loyd, Angel Reese, and many others. Twenty-six of the 30 player slots have been announced. This includes two of Collier's Lynx teammates, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams, as well as Stewart's Liberty teammate, Courtney Vandersloot.
“It’s more than just an initial salary, but showing these companies who you are as a player.”
Historic Pay
According to the two former UConn Huskies, all Unrivaled salaries are six figures, making it “the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history.” The same day as game three, it was announced that Unrivaled had already secured a multi-year broadcasting deal with TNT, meaning streaming will be on Max.
“For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income. With Unrivaled, we’re revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay,” Stewart said in a June statement.
A League for the Players
Wages aren't the only way players will make money from Unrivaled. “All the players in this first year will have equity in the league,” Collier told the Associated Press. “For players to have a piece of the pie essentially to grow their generational wealth is something we’re really excited about.”
Players having equity in the league is the most revolutionary part about Unrivaled. “We may have had the vision, but this isn’t just our league,” Collier said in the June statement. “It belongs to the players. And the Unrivaled model reflects that.” Stewart told the Associated Press that this league would also allow players to explore branding opportunities that they wouldn’t be able to through the WNBA. “It’s more than just an initial salary, but showing these companies who you are as a player,” she said.
A player-driven league gives players more power than they’ve ever had before. Now, women get to decide how to sell themselves. While the battle between Stewart and Collier is far from over in the WNBA, Unrivaled promises us that we will continue to be able to see these stars play on our shores this offseason.
