Professional Women’s Basketball League Unrivaled Announces Groundbreaking Compensation and Ownership Model
By Griselle Johnson
Unrivaled, the professional women’s basketball league, has announced a revolutionary model for women’s sports compensation and ownership. The league also revealed the successful closure of an oversubscribed seed round featuring industry titans and an all-star group of investors, alongside new details on the league’s format and operations, ahead of its inaugural season in January 2025. Co-founded by women’s basketball stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled is set to disrupt the domestic women’s professional sports landscape with a model centered on athlete investment.
Unrivaled is a player-owned league, granting athletes equity and a vested interest in its success. The league will offer historic contract opportunities, providing the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history. Featuring 30 of the top women’s basketball players across six teams in a 3-on-3, compressed full-court style of play, Unrivaled aims to deliver the most entertaining and competitive form of the sport for fans. Several women’s basketball superstars, including reigning WNBA All-Stars, have already agreed to terms with Unrivaled, with formal announcements expected this summer.
“For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for the 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,” said Stewart. Collier added, “With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season. Breanna and I set out to create a league that would change the way women’s sports are viewed and ultimately how sports leagues operate. We may have had the vision, but this isn’t just our league – it belongs to the players, and the Unrivaled model reflects that.”
U.S. Soccer co-captain and two-time FIFA World Cup Winner Alex Morgan, through her firm Trybe Ventures, has assembled a diverse and star-powered team of investors to fund Unrivaled’s launch. The investor group includes legendary athletes and executives such as activist and two-time FIFA World Cup Champion Megan Rapinoe, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, five-time LPGA Champion Michelle Wie West, and Cleveland Cavaliers GM Koby Altman.
Sports media titans – co-founder of Meadowlark Media and former ESPN President John Skipper, and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) and former Turner President David Levy – have also invested in Unrivaled and will spearhead the league’s media rights. Additionally, HS&E will manage the league’s sponsorship sales efforts.
“The interest and enthusiasm for women’s basketball is reaching unprecedented levels, leading brands and media companies to prioritize their involvement in the sport as they recognize its significant growth and return on investment,” said Levy. “Unrivaled presents an exceptional opportunity for both brands and media companies to align with today’s top basketball players, and I am thrilled to work alongside John and the Unrivaled team to introduce this exciting and competitive new league to the marketplace.” Skipper added, “It is clear that sports fans are falling in love with women’s basketball. Showcasing the best players in the world in a 3-on-3 format will accelerate the understanding of just how good these players are and how exciting this game is. I am very excited to have an opportunity to see this up close.”
