Unrivaled 101: rules and squads before the start of the new league

Women’s basketball has experienced exponential growth for several years. On Friday, it will expand even further with the launch of Unrivaled in Miami.

A new 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled is a national opportunity for WNBA players to compete against each other during the offseason. But for those who helped bring the league to fruition, it was about returning competitive basketball to its simplest, rawest form, like playing hoops on the playground.

“Everything was built for the players,” Luke Cooper, Unrivaled’s president of basketball operations, told ESPN. “The business was built for the players, the facilities were built for the players and the game itself – the 3-on-3 full court is rooted in the way you played basketball as a kid.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the league ahead of its inaugural season.

What is unmatched?

Since the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997, many of the league’s players have gone overseas to continue playing in the offseason, both to supplement their income and to find high-level competition.

Founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled offers the opportunity for 36 of the WNBA’s top players to stay in the United States for an eight-week season that will run from January 17 to March 17 at a custom-built facility in Miami . This is not the first national alternative league. Athletes Unlimited, a 5-on-5 league launching in 2022, will play its fourth season from February 5 to March 2 in Nashville, with 29 of the 40 participants having WNBA experience.

But Unrivaled, which will be made up of six teams, seeks to stand out through its salaries, equipment and style of play.

“It was built by basketball players for basketball players,” Cooper said. “That’s our North Star. … We have an incredible pool of 36 players who will make each other better, so we’re unique in that sense in the market.”

Unrivaled aims to be the first league to rival the WNBA financially and with resources.

How much are players paid?

Peerless officials said the league has surpassed $35 million in funding, with investors including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC star JuJu Watkins.

When the league was announced, one of Unrivaled’s selling points was that its average salaries would be higher than the WNBA’s, despite having a quarter more players.

The average WNBA salary in 2024 was approximately $119,500, with a high of approximately $242,000.

Unrivaled said it offers “the highest average salary in professional women’s (team) sports.” League president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation in December that Unrivaled had a total salary of $8 million, putting the league’s average salary at around $222,222.

In addition to their salary, Unrivaled players benefit from equity in the league. Unequaled officials declined to discuss the league’s player compensation with ESPN.

Which actors are involved?

Unrivaled aimed to attract as many high-profile WNBA players as possible to commit to the league. When league officials presented the situation to them, they only had one concept: “Here’s what we hope it will look like” and “Here’s what we want it to look like.”

“I give those players a lot of credit,” Cooper said. “They took a risk.”

The 36 players participating in Unrivaled this season include seven No. 1 overall WNBA draft picks (Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young, Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner), a WNBA MVP (Stewart) and 17 former Olympians.

Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has committed to play in Unrivaled but will not feature this season as she recovers from an ACL injury suffered in June 2024.

Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark have opted out of Unrivaled this season.

UConn senior Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft, and LSU junior Flau’Jae Johnson have signed NIL deals with Unrivaled. Bueckers is expected to join the league in 2026.

How were the lists compiled?

On November 20, Unrivaled’s six head coaches met in Miami to select teams. Thirty-four of the league’s 36 players (the two wild card spots were still being decided) were divided into six groups based on their positions and playing style. From there, the six coaches worked collaboratively to create each team, choosing at least one player from each group with the aim of building balanced squads.

But the coaches had no idea which teams they would lead until the selection process was over.

“It put the onus back on the coaches,” Cooper said.

Access Unrivaled’s listings

Where will Unrivaled be played and how long is the season?

The Unrivaled season will last eight weeks, including the playoffs, and will be played entirely at the MediaPro Center in Miami. Matches will be played weekly on Monday, Friday and Saturday.

The regular season will consist of a round-robin format, with all six teams playing each opponent at least once and each team playing 14 games. The top four teams based on record will qualify for the playoffs. Head-to-head records and point difference will serve as tiebreakers.

The playoffs begin March 16 – which is also Selection Sunday for men’s and women’s college basketball – with two single-elimination semifinal games. The championship game will take place on March 17.

Unrivaled also recently announced that it will host a 1-on-1 tournament from February 10-14 that pits players against each other in a single-elimination competition, in which the winner takes all, with a $250,000 reward for the winner and an additional $10,000 for the winner. their teammates 3 against 3.

How are Unrivaled’s 3v3 rules different from the Olympic 3×3 event?

Unrivaled will be played on a condensed 49.2 feet by 72 feet full court rather than the half court (36 feet by 49 feet) used in the Olympics. For reference, the WNBA is played on a 94 foot by 50 foot court.

“It’s like you’re watching a basketball game and there are four fewer players on the court,” Cooper said. “It’s not a gimmick. It’s basketball with more space to operate and a little shorter court, so the players have the stamina to play.”

Each Unrivaled game will consist of three seven-minute quarters and a fourth quarter that the league calls a “game-winning score.” The winning score will be determined by adding 11 points to the lead team’s score over three quarters. For example, if the score is 50-48 going into the final quarter, the first team to reach 61 points wins. There will never be overtime.

“This game is rooted in the way you played basketball as a kid in a black top,” Cooper said. “There’s flow. There’s rhythm.”

The unrivaled organizers hope that playing to a target score will eliminate late fouls and speed up the game as a whole. To that end, the free throw process will also be different. When a player commits a foul – whether on a layup or a 3-point shot – only one free throw will be awarded. The single shot is worth two points for a foul on a 2-point basket or three points if the foul occurred on a 3-point attempt. A free throw attempt after a foul on a successful basket is worth one point.

Players commit a foul after their sixth foul, but if the team only has three players available and one of them commits a sixth foul, the player will remain in the game but will incur technical fouls for each additional foul that he commits.

Games will use an 18-second shot clock, compared to 24 seconds for the WNBA, and the clock will only be stopped on made field goals in the final 30 seconds of periods rather than the final minute.

Apart from the warning at the start of the game, all jump situations are replaced by alternating possessions.

Who are the coaches?

The six head coaches have varying levels of NBA and WNBA experience, headlined by former Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon and former NBA assistant coach Phil Handy, who recently spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Weatherspoon will lead the Vinyl, while Handy will coach the Mist.

Former Washington Mystics assistant Andrew Wade will coach the Laces, and Nola Henry, who recently spent time with the Los Angeles Sparks, will coach the Rose. Former Brooklyn Nets assistant and director of player development Adam Harrington will coach the Phantom. And WNBA and NBA skills coach DJ Sackmann will coach the Lunar Owls.

How to watch Unparalleled

The Monday and Friday night games will be broadcast on TNT, the league’s broadcast rights holder. Saturday’s games will be broadcast on TruTV. All games will also be available to stream on Max.

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Unrivaled workforce

BC laces

Stefanie Dolson, F/C, Washington Mystics
Tiffany Hayes, G, Las Vegas Ace
Kate Martin, G, Golden State Valkyries
Kayla McBride, G, Minnesota Lynx
Alyssa Thomas, F, Connecticut Sun
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Ace

Moon Owls BC

Shakira Austin, F/C, Washington Mystics
Cameron Brink, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Napheesa Collier, G, Minnesota Lynx
Skylar Diggins-Smith, G, Seattle Storm
Allisha Gray, G, Atlanta Dream
Courtney Williams, G, Minnesota Lynx

BC Mist

DiJonai Carrington, G, Connecticut Sun
Aaliyah Edwards, F, Washington Mystics
Rickea Jackson, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart, F, New York Liberty
Courtney Vandersloot, G, New York Liberty

Phantom BC

Natasha Cloud, G, Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner, C, Phoenix Mercury
Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty
Marina Mabrey, G, Connecticut Sun
Satou Sabally, A, Dallas Wings
Katie Lou Samuelson, F, Indiana Fever

Rose BC

Kahleah Copper, G, Phoenix Mercury
Chelsea Gray, G, Las Vegas Ace
Lexie Hull, G, Indiana Fever
Angel Reese, G, Chicago Sky
Azura Stevens, F/C, Los Angeles Sparks
Brittney Sykes, G, Washington Mystics

BC Vinyl

Aliyah Boston, F/C, Indiana Fever
Rae Burrell, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Jordan Canada, G, Atlanta Dream
Deica Hamby, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Rhyne Howard, G, Atlanta Dream
Arike Ogunbowale, G, Dallas Wings