Photo Courtesy of Lori Schaull- Wikimedia Commons
As the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) season concludes, fans may be wondering where they will get their next chance to watch some of their favorite players. In January, Unrivaled will begin, which will give WNBA fans a chance to see some of their favorite players.
If you are unfamiliar with Unrivaled, it is a women’s basketball three-on-three league that takes place in the offseason. The league was founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier as a way for WNBA players to make money in the offseason while developing their skill sets. Every player who signs a contract with Unrivaled has equity in the business.
Upon its founding in 2024, Collier said, “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…We may have had the vision, but this isn’t just our league—it belongs to the players, and the Unrivaled model reflects that.”
Since Unrivaled is a three-on-three model as opposed to the traditional five-on-five, each team has six players on it. In Unrivaled, a draft takes place annually, which means that all the players are re-selected to their teams. Playoff teams are allowed to retain a certain number of players from the previous season, but for the most part, these teams are completely new groups of people compared to last season. Recently, the drafts for the upcoming season’s teams happened, and fans were excited about the results.
The Laces, coached by Andrew Wade, selected Jackie Young, Satou Sabally, Marine Johannès, Gabby Williams, Maddy Siegrist, and Jessica Shepard. This is a very interesting group, and most of them have played with each other before. Gabby Williams and Marine Johannès play for the French National Team together. Johannès also played with Satou Sabally on the New York Liberty. Shepard and Siegrist are teammates on the Dallas Wings and have a lot of experience playing together from this season.
Last season, the Mist won the Unrivaled Championship, and fans are excited to see what they have in store for this season. Zach O’Brien will be coaching this team, while Breanna Stewart and Arike Ogunbowale return to play for the Mist. The team also selected Veronica Burton, Kiki Rice, Izzy Harrison, and Bridget Carleton. With so many shooters and difference makers on the court, this could be a team to watch.
Chelsea Gray, Brittney Sykes, Shakira Austin, Aziaha James, Lexie Hull, and Kayla Thornton will all be on the Rose this year, coached by Nola Henry. Henry emphasized how building team chemistry and forming an identity will be a necessity to make it far this season. This group has a mix of different levels of experience and play style, which could be a positive or negative thing; we will have to watch as the season progresses how this plays out.
The Lunar Owls return with DJ Sackman as their coach. Courtney Williams, Temi Fágbénlé, Marina Mabrey, Skylar Diggins, Napheesa Collier, and Sydney Taylor make up the rather impressive roster. Collier and Williams both played on the Minnesota Lynx together and have chemistry on the court already. Mabrey brings an impressive three-point shooting ability to the team, and Taylor established herself as a clutch player during her rookie season this year. If the team is able to find a defensive rhythm and consistent scoring ability, they have the potential to make it very far.
Roneeka Hodges will be the coach for the Phantom this season. Kelsey Plum, Tiffany Hayes, Kayla McBride, Aaliyah Edwards, Natasha Cloud, and Li Yueru will all be on the Phantom this season. This team has a good mix of size and offensive ability, but foul trouble could potentially be an issue. It will be interesting to see what identity they form throughout the season and how their playing styles can combine.
The legendary Teresa Weatherspoon will be coaching Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Jordin Canada, Flau'jae Johnson, and Aneesah Morrow on the Vinyl this season. Canada, Howard, and Gray all play for the Atlanta Dream and are coming off their playoff finals run. It will be interesting to see how their chemistry meshes with Hamby, Morrow, and Johnson. Weatherspoon was a dynamic WNBA player, and having her coach this team will undoubtedly be exciting to watch.
Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron, Cameron Brink, Natisha Hiedeman, Rae Burrell, and Naz Hillmon will be coached by Barbara Turner on the Hive this season. This team definitely has a lot of potential to make it far, but defense could be a major problem in close games. The three-on-three format can allow for fewer mistakes, and some of these players might struggle with that. Overall, this is an interesting group of players with a range of skill sets that will be exciting to watch.
The Breeze will feature Jarell Christian coaching Paige Bueckers, Kahleah Copper, Dominique Malonga, Kaitlyn Chen, DiJonai Carrington, and Monique Billings. This team will be fast on both ends of the court, and fans are excited for the chemistry on the court. Bueckers and Chen won a championship together in college. Carrington and Bueckers formed a close bond during Bueckers’ rookie season on the Dallas Wings. Additionally, Malonga and Bueckers played for the Breeze together last season. Do they have what it takes to win? We will have to see.