Women's basketball has been growing at an exponential pace over the past several years. On Friday, it will expand even more when Unrivaled tips off in Miami.
A new 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled is a domestic opportunity for WNBA players to compete during the offseason. But to those who helped bring the league to fruition, it was about bringing competitive basketball back 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 facility was built for the players, and the actual game -- the 3-on-3 full court is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid."
Here's everything you need to know about the league ahead of its inaugural season.
What is Unrivaled?
Since the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997, many of the league's players have headed overseas to continue playing in the offseason -- both to supplement their income and find high-level competition.
Founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled provides an opportunity for 36 of the top WNBA players to remain in the United States for an eight-week season that runs Jan. 17 to March 17 in a custom-built facility in Miami. It's not the first domestic alternative league. Athletes Unlimited, a 5-on-5 league that launched in 2022, will play its fourth season from Feb. 5 to March 2 in Nashville, with 29 of 40 participants having WNBA experience.
But Unrivaled, which will consist of six teams, looks to set itself apart with its salaries, amenities and style of play.
"It was built by basketball people for basketball players," Cooper said. "That's our north star. ... We have an incredible pool of 36 players that will make each other better, so we're unique in that sense in the marketplace."
Unrivaled aims to be the first league to compete with the WNBA financially and with its resources.
How much are the players getting paid?
Unrivaled officials said the league has surpassed $35 million in funding, with 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 among the investors.
When the league was announced, one of Unrivaled's selling points was that its average salaries would be higher than the WNBA's -- albeit with a fourth as many players.
The average salary in the WNBA in 2024 was about $119,500, with the high around $242,000.
Unrivaled has said it is offering "the highest average salary in professional women's (team) sports." League president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation in December that Unrivaled has a total salary pool of $8 million, which puts the league's average salary around $222,222.
In addition to their salary, Unrivaled players get equity in the league. Unrivaled officials declined to discuss the league's player compensation with ESPN.
Which players are involved?
Unrivaled set out to get as many top WNBA players as possible to commit to the league. When league officials pitched it to them, all they had was a concept: "This is what we hope it's going to look like," and "this is what we want it to feel like."
"I give a lot of credit to these players," Cooper said. "They took a risk."
The 36 players competing in Unrivaled this season includes seven No. 1 WNBA draft picks (Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young, Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner), one WNBA MVP (Stewart) and 17 former Olympians.
Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, has committed to playing in Unrivaled but will sit out this season as she recovers from a June 2024 ACL injury.
A'ja Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, and Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark opted not to participate in 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 rosters built?
On Nov. 20, all six Unrivaled head coaches met in Miami to select the teams. Thirty-four of the league's 36 players (the two wild-card spots were still being decided) were separated into six pods based on positions and style of play. From there, the six coaches worked collaboratively to create each team, picking at least one player from each pod with the goal of building balanced rosters.
But the coaches had no idea which teams they'd be leading until after the selection process was complete.
"It was putting the onus back on the coaches," Cooper said.
Jump to Unrivaled's rosters
Where will Unrivaled be played, and how long is the season?
The Unrivaled season will last eight weeks, including playoffs, and will be played entirely at the MediaPro Center in Miami. Games will be played each week on Monday, Friday and Saturday.
The regular season will consist of a round-robin format, with the six teams facing each opponent at least once and each team playing 14 games. The top four teams based on record will advance to the playoffs. Head-to-head records and point differential will serve as tiebreakers.
The playoffs start March 16 -- which is also Selection Sunday for men's and women's college basketball -- with two single-elimination semifinal games. The championship game is March 17.
Unrivaled also recently announced it will hold a 1-on-1 tournament from Feb. 10 to 14 that pits players against one another in a single-elimination, winner-take-all competition with a $250,000 reward for the winner and an additional $10,000 for their 3-on-3 teammates.
How are Unrivaled's 3-on-3 rules different from the Olympic 3x3 event?
Unrivaled will be played on a 49.2-by-72-foot condensed full court rather than the half court (36 feet by 49 feet) used at the Olympics. For reference, the WNBA is played on a 94-by-50-foot court.
"It feels like you are watching a basketball game and there just happens to be four less players on the court," Cooper said. "It's not a gimmick. It's basketball with more space to operate with and a little shorter of a court, so the players have the stamina to play."
Each Unrivaled game will feature three seven-minute quarters and a fourth quarter that the league is calling "winning score." The winning score will be determined by adding 11 points to the leading team's score through three quarters. For example, if the score is 50-48 heading into the final quarter, the first team to reach 61 points wins. There will never be overtime.
"This game is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid on a black top," Cooper said. "There's flow. There's pace."
Unrivaled organizers hope playing to a target score eliminates late fouls and speeds up the game overall. To that end, the free throw process also will be different. When a player is fouled -- whether on a layup or a 3-pointer -- only one free throw will be awarded. The single shot is worth two points for a foul on a 2-point field goal or three points if the foul occurred on a 3-point attempt. A free throw attempt after a foul on a made basket is worth one point.
Players will foul out after their sixth foul, but if the team has only three players available and one of them picks up a sixth foul, the player will remain in the game but incur technical fouls for each additional foul they commit.
The games will use an 18-second shot clock, compared to the WNBA's 24 seconds, and the clock will be stopped on made baskets only in the last 30 seconds of periods rather than in the last minute.
Except for tip-off at the start of the game, all jump ball situations are replaced by alternating possessions.
Who are the coaches?
The six head coaches have different levels of experience in the NBA and WNBA, headlined by former Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon and former NBA assistant coach Phil Handy, who most 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 lead the Laces, and Nola Henry, who recently spent time with the Los Angeles Sparks, will coach the Rose. Adam Harrington, a former assistant and director for player development for the Brooklyn Nets, will coach the Phantom. And WNBA and NBA skills coach DJ Sackmann will coach the Lunar Owls.
How to watch Unrivaled
Monday and Friday night games will be on TNT, the league's broadcast rights holder. Saturday games will be shown on TruTV. All games will also be available for streaming on Max.
Unrivaled rosters
Laces BC
Stefanie Dolson, F/C, Washington Mystics
Tiffany Hayes, G, Las Vegas Aces
Kate Martin, G, Golden State Valkyries
Kayla McBride, G, Minnesota Lynx
Alyssa Thomas, F, Connecticut Sun
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Aces
Lunar 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
Mist BC
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, F, Dallas Wings
Katie Lou Samuelson, F, Indiana Fever
Rose BC
Kahleah Copper, G, Phoenix Mercury
Chelsea Gray, G, Las Vegas Aces
Lexie Hull, G, Indiana Fever
Angel Reese, G, Chicago Sky
Azura Stevens, F/C, Los Angeles Sparks
Brittney Sykes, G, Washington Mystics
Vinyl BC
Aliyah Boston, F/C, Indiana Fever
Rae Burrell, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Jordin Canada, G, Atlanta Dream
Dearica Hamby, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Rhyne Howard, G, Atlanta Dream
Arike Ogunbowale, G, Dallas Wings