For many years, people have pondered a simple question: how do you get your dream job? Having your dream job can mean different things to different people, but for most it includes fair pay, engaging work and respect from colleagues and superiors. There has been constant debate in the WNBA about if these needs are being met. So, for two-time WNBA MVP Breana Stewart and 2019 rookie of the year Napheesa Collier, the answer was simple. They made their own league.
Unrivaled is a three-on-three women’s basketball league that takes place during the WNBA’s offseason, giving players a chance to make money during the break without having to travel overseas. Unrivaled also presented a solution to years of frustration with the WNBA’s leadership due to unfair compensation for players. Players and fans have protested to advocate for better pay, but nothing has changed. In one of the largest acts of protest so far, players showed up to this year’s All Star game wearing shirts that said, “Pay us what you owe us.” However, some of the players don’t have time to wait for the WNBA to make new contracts, so they made their own solution.
After years of unsuccessful CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreements) negotiations, Collier and Stewert decided to create their own league. Unrivaled had a record-breaking inaugural season in January and February of 2025. With sponsors like Samsung, Under Armor and Sephora, Unrivaled became the highest-paying organization in women’s sports industry.
“We want to now set the new standard of what expectation is for pay on the court,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzel said. Paige Bueckers, a WNBA superstar, is being paid more during one season of Unrivaled than for her entire four-year rookie contract with the Dallas Wings. During Unrivaled’s first season, they played solely in Miami, Florida. But with their second season approaching, Alex Bazzel and popular Unrivaled player, Natasha Cloud, announced that because of popular demand they will be hosting games in Philadelphia this year.
Unrivaled’s huge inaugural season and the constant demand for more games in this upcoming season shows how Napheesa Collier and Breana Stewart’s efforts to bring fairness to WNBA players will not go unnoticed.
