The Unrivaled women’s 3-on-3 basketball league is expanding with two new teams and 18 additional roster spots for its second season starting in January 2026.
Why it matters: The expansion reflects the league’s strong financial performance, high viewership numbers, and increased player demand, signaling its rapid growth and success.
The details:
- Unrivaled will add Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club, each with six players.
- A season-long development pool of six players will be created to serve as injury relief players.
- The league will move to a four-game night per week schedule, eliminating back-to-back games.
- Player facilities will be expanded by 15,000 square feet, including a second practice court.
Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said, “If we didn’t expand rosters, there were going to be All-Stars wanting to join who we didn’t have space for. We want to be the home for all of the best players in the world.”
Notable investors:
- Serena Williams’ venture capital firm has become one of the notable new investors in Unrivaled.
- Other investors include Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young, Franz and Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic, and University of Maryland president Darryll J. Pines and his wife Sylvia.
- Unrivaled is now valued at $340 million after concluding a successful inaugural season in March.
Player contracts and salaries:
- Almost all players from the first season are returning, with 30 players on two-year contracts and 15 on three-year contracts.
- The 2025 WNBA first overall pick recently signed a lucrative three-year deal with Unrivaled, with her first-year salary expected to exceed her four-year WNBA rookie contract.
- Development pool players will earn a six-figure salary while training and participating in scrimmages.
What’s next: Unrivaled will announce a tour stop location within the next month and is finalizing details on how to split up its expanded rosters fairly while maintaining the core identities of fan bases that have built up.
