The New Women's Sports League Brands Should Care About
Unrivaled Basketball has the buy-in of huge sponsors and top-tier players, plus a blend of high-profile institutional and celebrity investors. From Sephora to Under Armour, brands are jumping in.
The big news just keeps on coming for Unrivaled Basketball. Last night, the professional 3x3 women’s basketball league tipping off in Miami this month just announced its latest big-name investor: US Open champion Coco Gauff. From the moment Unrivaled announced itself to the world last summer — the brainchild of WNBA All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart (and Alex Bazzell, Collier’s partner) — there has been a steady stream of announcements like this drip fed to the public via the league’s social media channels and those of its founders, using a catchy blend of creative, lo-fi content.
The issue with so many start-up sports leagues is that many of them feel like fads — short-sighted ventures concocted by rich former pros and private equity guys with too much money. I like Unrivaled because it has already committed to a multi-season schedule, it’s designed by two current players at the top of their game seeking to address specific challenges experienced by professional female basketball players, and it has the buy in from key stakeholders, with everyone from banks, celebrities, legendary athletes, beauty brands and more throwing their support — and their money — behind this new venture. Here’s my breakdown of the league, its well executed go-to-market strategy and what it has to offer the world of sports.
One thing that has struck me about Unrivaled is the genuine excitement felt by everyone involved. I spoke to two of the players in December during Art Basel, who couldn’t wait to link up with all of their friends in Miami during what would normally be the off-season — and get paid for it.
“As a businesswoman, just being able to stay within the US and not having to leave to make more money in the offseason is a game changer” — Angel Reese
I interviewed Angel Reese last year shortly after she confirmed her participation in Unrivaled. Here’s what she had to say:
“I'm super excited for it. Players are tired of having to go overseas [during the offseason]. As a businesswoman, just being able to stay within the US and not having to leave to make more money is a game changer. I played 3x3 before, but not to a super competitive level, so I'm just excited for that and being able to grow my game with the best players in the world. I think they've done a great job so far putting it together.”
What Sets Unrivaled Apart?
Founded by active WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart
Average player salary c.$220,00-$250,000 + equity
Custom-built arena in Miami where all games will take place
All players provided with accommodation in Miami for duration
Apparel and footwear deal with Under Armour
Beauty partnership with Sephora
Exclusive multiyear media rights deal with TNT
State Farm sponsorship
How Will It Work?
36 players across 6 clubs: Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose, Viynl
The 3x3 season runs from Jan 17 to March 17
Most games taking place Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays
1v1 single elimination tournament to take place Feb. 10-14
Adding Value, For Real
What makes Unrivaled different to other upstart celebrity-backed leagues popping up across different sports right now (Kings League, UTS etc.) is that instead of adding another format of the sport no one has asked for, every single aspect of Unrivaled’s operations has been purpose built to solve multiple pain points felt in professional women’s basketball for decades. Those issues include:
Pay Discrepancy. Thanks to a $7 million seed funding round backed by investors including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Ashton Kutcher, Unrivaled was able to commit to paying its players the highest average salary in women’s sports league history. On top of that, each player has been granted an equity stake in Unrivaled, which was valued at $100 million after a subsequent funding round in December. The package will dwarf the majority of the players WNBA salaries. Not bad for eight weeks of work in Miami.
The Long Offseason. As Angel alluded to, most WNBA players have had to go overseas to supplement their income in the eight-month-long offseason running September through May. Beyond the obvious downsides (leaving behind family members or relocating to far flung locations like Russia or China), it means players are away from their home markets for significant periods, making it harder to market themselves, secure endorsement deals and generally grow their personal brands. Unrivaled offers players the chance to enjoy the offseason, remain in the US and in the public spotlight playing a different format of basketball — while getting paid good money to do it. Win win.
Women’s sports-specific deals. Unrivaled has assembled a roster of sponsorships that just make sense. The Sephora deal came into its own on media day last week, when the retailer’s stylists and Fenty Beauty hair and makeup artists got players glammed up for on-camera appearances. BTS content of players arriving at a gifting suite ahead of media day was marketing gold. Meanwhile, the Under Armour deal ensured sneakers would be provided for any players without active shoe deals, meaning no one will be forced to source or pay for their own to compete. Collier also took to Unrivaled’s IG last week to confirm a new sponsorship with contraceptive brand Opill. When I talk about how innovation in women’s sports is opening up the doors to a whole world of brands which previously found once-male dominated sports impossible to penetrate — this is what I mean.
What’s Missing?
Not much.
There are a few big names who chose to sit it out for the first season of Unrivaled at least. Most notably, unanimous WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, who opted to take a break ahead of the 2025 WNBA season, passing up on what I’m sure would have been historic offers from Unrivaled.
Beyond that, the league has secured just about every other big name in women’s basketball right now. Though it’s missing Wilson and Clark, the tournament will benefit from having a stellar cast of breakout talent from the past WNBA season, including Angel Reese, Rae Burrell, Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink (who will feature in the 2026 after recovering from an ACL injury).
Unrivaled has even found ways of meaningfully involving the next generation of women’s basketball stars. Both UConn star Paige Bueckers and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson were granted equity as part of NIL deals to come on board as ambassadors for the league initially, ahead of entering the WNBA for the 2025 season and potentially being eligible to take to the Unrivaled court in Miami in 2026. Meanwhile, USC standout Juju Watkins, who cannot turn pro until 2027 under current WNBA regulations, joined Unrivaled as an investor on its Series A funding round closed in December.
I know I’ll be watching when the league tips off on Jan 19. I hope you will too.
If you made it this far, you’re a real one — thank you. Let me know what you think, and if there are any other exciting new leagues you have your eye on. If you like my newsletter, please don’t forget to leave a comment and share with friends.
Until next time!
DYM