South Carolina women's basketball: Unrivaled announces new funding, teams

This week, Unrivaled, the three-on-three basketball league that plays during the WNBA offseason, announced a new round of investment and two new teams.

Unrivaled was founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart in 2023 and played its first season in 2025. Following a Series B investment round, the league is valued at $340 million, nearly ten times what it was worth a year ago. 

With the additional investment in hand, Unrivaled will add two new teams, Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club, for its second season, which begins in January.

Additionally, the league will add a developmental player pool of six players who are on their WNBA rookie contracts. Last season, Unrivaled had to bring in six additional players during the season as injury replacements. The developmental pool gives the league players available on site and ready to step in if needed.

The additional teams and developmental pool add a total of 18 new roster spots for the league. The limited roster spots for new players in professional women’s basketball have long been an issue as the leagues try to build on the success of college basketball.

“If we didn’t expand rosters, there were going to be All-Stars [wanting to join] who we didn’t have space for,” league president Alex Bazzell told ESPN. “We want to be the home for all of the best players in the world.”

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Unrivaled is also making facility upgrades and, after playing all games at one site last season, will begin off-site games next season.

The average salary for Unrivaled players last season was nearly $225,000. That is higher than the WNBA max salary of approximately $215,000, and nearly the same as the supermax salary, just shy of $250,000. 

Unrivaled players also get equity in the league. Players in the developmental pool will be paid the same as those on active rosters.

Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley was among the initial investors in the league. Former Gamecocks Allisha Gray and Aliyah Boston participated in the inaugural season. 

Current Gamecock Ta’Niya Latson has signed an NIL deal with Unrivaled. She will be able to join the league for its third season in 2027.

Unrivaled has also made no secret that it hopes to convince A’ja Wilson to join before next season.

Unrivaled’s second season begins in January 2026.

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