All-Stars Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier planning to start U.S. offseason 3-on-3 league for WNBA players
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier are planning to launch a U.S.-based offseason basketball league for WNBA players.
The All-Stars spoke with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne about the proposed league intended to present an alternative to players who travel overseas to play during the league's offseason. The new league would be called Unrivaled and feature 30 players on six teams. It would run from January through March and include 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 competition, all played in Miami.
WNBA players have long traveled to play internationally during the offseason because of lucrative contracts offered overseas. Brittney Griner was traveling to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia when she was detained and ultimately held prisoner by the nation's government for 10 months.
Stewart told Shelburne that Unrivaled would address compliance with the league's collectively bargained "prioritization" clause, which went into effect this season and requires players to prioritize their WNBA contracts over others. In practice, this means showing up for the first day of WNBA training camp instead of remaining overseas, where seasons can run through May.
Veteran players this season who didn't show up for the first day of training camp on April 30 were subject to a fine of 1% of their salary for each day that they missed. Players unavailable for the first day of the season on May 19 were subject to suspension. Starting in 2024, players are subject to suspension if they don't show up for the first day of training camp.
The clause was a subject of contention from the players' union, but they ultimately conceded for gains elsewhere in negotiations.
"It's the ability for players to stay home, to be in a market like Miami where we can just be the buzz and create that with the best WNBA players," Stewart told ESPN of Unrivaled. "We can't keep fighting [the WNBA's prioritization rule]. It is a rule that takes away our choices, which should never be a thing, especially as women, but it is still a rule."
Stewart made roughly $1.5 million annually in previous offseasons playing in Russia. She played in Turkey this past offseason. The supermax WNBA contract pays $234,936 this season.
Per ESPN, the financial goal of Unrivaled is to raise private and sponsorship funding to provide pay that corresponds with what players make during the WNBA season. Stewart said she's been in contact with numerous prospective business partners.
Stewart and Collier, who played in college together at UConn, came up with the idea over dinner alongside Collier's husband Alex Bazzell. Another goal of the league is to allow players to remain closer to their families during the offseason. Collier gave birth to her first child with Bazzell in 2022 and stopped playing overseas.
"I'm a homebody by nature," Collier told ESPN. "I love being home for the holidays. Being away from your family for six months, it's not easy. Then the idea of having a family trying to figure out child care overseas. That was kind of the main reason."
Stewart and Collier hope to launch Unrivaled in January.
