WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier recently launched Unrivaled, a new women's basketball league aiming to provide star players with opportunities stateside during the WNBA offseason.
It's common practice for WNBA players to seek opportunities overseas during the league's offseason in order to supplement their finances. The upstart league will aim to curb that by presenting players with a competitive league in the United States, one which competes financially with the W.
Unrivaled was recently in headlines after it agreed to a name, image and likeness deal with UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers, who is expected to play in the league when it begins. It was also reported that Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese would be playing in the league, bringing even more excitement to its debut, which is set for January 2025.
The league will consist of six teams with five players on each squad. The league will be located in Miami and each team will be fully owned by the players. Each season of Unrivaled will last eight weeks and will run during the WNBA offseason.
The average salary is reportedly anticipated to be $250,000, which is the equivalent to the WNBA's league-wide maximum salary. The current league-average salary in the WNBA sits at $147,745.
As of writing, Unrivaled has announced 10 of the league's 30 players, including some of the biggest stars in the sport. Among those set to participate in January—in addition to Bueckers, Reese, Stewart and Collier—are Chelsea Gray, Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Rhyne Howard, Kahleah Cooper and Jackie Young.
In June, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell announced that longtime tennis executive and former WTA president Mickey Lawler will serve as the league's first commissioner.
There's plenty of interest surrounding on the Unrivaled debut this coming January, and there figure to be more star players joining the mix before it gets underway.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What is Unrivaled? Everything to Know About the New Women's Basketball League.
