WNBA players earn a new opportunity with offseason domestic league announced
WNBA players will get an opportunity to play domestically in the offseason after New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier announced they are founding a new women's basketball league.
The league will provide the top WNBA players another option for playing domestically in the offseason, ESPN first reported.
The new league, called Unrivaled, would run from January through March and feature 30 of the top professional women's players on six teams, playing games of 3-on-3 and one-on-one at a soundstage in Miami.
Playing overseas has become a hot topic over the last year after Brittney Griner was detained in Russia after playing in a league there. Stewart played with Griner on the same team in Russia from 2018-22 and both made $1.5 million for the 2022 season. The WNBA supermax salary for the 2023 season is $234,936.
After Griner returned to the U.S., she confirmed she will not leave the country except to represent the U.S. in the Olympics.
More: Brittney Griner 'never going overseas to play again' unless it is for the Olympics
Since Griner's detention, players have been more aware of overseas opportunities. Many on last season's Phoenix Mercury team avoided going overseas altogether and sought other opportunities.
The league's goal is to raise enough in private funding and sponsorships to supplement players' incomes in the offseason. The WNBA's prioritization rules will go into full effect next season, which will mandate that players return from overseas by the start of training camp to be eligible for the season. The overseas season often runs through mid-May, which conflicts with the start of the WNBA season.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WNBA players get a new opportunity with offseason domestic league
