How Unrivaled became a welcome alternative for WNBA players’ overseas offseasons

Chelsea Gray has made a habit of competing internationally during her WNBA offseasons. For nearly a decade, the Las Vegas Aces star would pack her bags after the W season concluded and fly to compete for teams in Israel, Spain and Turkey as a way to work on her game, travel the world and supplement her income during the winter.

A few years ago, away from the spotlight while playing in Turkey, she started wondering what was next in her career and her life. She had just turned 30, had won championships and established herself as one of the best in the game. Playing overseas every winter meant months away from some of her family and friends, and a risk that she was missing opportunities to grow her brand.

So when she was approached two years ago by executives creating a new U.S. women’s basketball league, Gray was intrigued, and she became the first non-founding player selected for the league.

“(Unrivaled) changes the game, being able to make money while still being here, being with our family,” she said. “It’s been really, really cool that it’s come to be what it is.”

Co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the new modified full-court 3×3 league has attracted many of the sport’s top players, such as Gray, who have opted against overseas competition this winter in hopes of establishing a new winter home for women’s basketball. The league debuts Friday in Miami, with six teams who boast some of the most notable names in the sport such as Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner.

For decades, American women’s basketball players have wrestled with career decisions every winter: Stay home to recuperate, work on marketing deals and spend time with family or spend winters abroad in Russia, China, Turkey, Italy, Israel and Spain. Many of the world’s best followed Gray’s routine of overseas play.

Now, with the launch of Unrivaled, more top-tier WNBA players than ever have elected to stay in the U.S. this offseason. Unrivaled’s goal isn’t to stop international leagues from signing top American players, but it’s a trend many involved believe will continue if the league is successful.

Collier, a star for the Minnesota Lynx, and Stewart, an MVP for the New York Liberty, aim to offer comparable domestic offseason competition and compensation to their colleagues.

“I think overseas is still a great option,” Collier said. “We just think it shouldn’t be your only option, so we wanted to give players other things that they could do in their home (country). … We’re not trying to take away any other option that you had before. We’re trying to expand upon that.”

They said that keeping many of the world’s best players in the U.S. during the WNBA offseason will help grow the sport more broadly. While formulating the idea during a discussion about Collier’s year-round basketball experience, she and her husband, Alex Bazzell, who is also the league president, talked about wanting to optimize player experiences. Unrivaled executives describe that aspect as its “North Star.”

“(We were) trying to make women’s basketball continue to be relevant in the offseason from a professional standpoint,” Stewart said, “and be a way where people are able to build their brands.”

Playing internationally significantly supplements the income of WNBA players, whose seasonal salaries range from around $60,000 to nearly $250,000. Overseas contracts can sometimes double that, if not pay even more.

Unrivaled promises to pay players the highest average salary in American women’s sports league history. Players earn an average salary of more than $200,000 for the 10-week season, and participants in its inaugural campaign also receive equity.

Unrivaled, Collier said, was founded on the principle that WNBA players “deserve compensation and ownership that reflect their value.” They understood player development and high-quality amenities like a sauna, cold tub and weight room were central to piquing players’ interest and support.

“We’re not playing for anybody because we’re all owners of this,” said Unrivaled wing Rhyne Howard, who’s played three seasons for the Atlanta Dream. “The equity in this, that’s something that’s definitely different but also is very helpful in the long run.”

Despite the many benefits of Unrivaled, Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey still wrestled with her options. She had largely positive, career-altering experiences overseas while competing in Latvia, Israel, Australia, Italy and Turkey. She credits her time in Latvia in 2019 for her weight loss, more dedicated work ethic and skills development. She has appreciated the cultural experiences and the work-life balance abroad.

“I learned to love myself,” she said. “I had to love myself again and my whole career changed after that.”

So while some of her peers jumped at the opportunity to play in Unrivaled, Mabrey’s decision was more difficult. She considered playing this offseason in China and Turkey, two countries that have historically compensated top WNBA players well. She weighed another seven-month season abroad against the 10-week Unrivaled calendar. Travel was another consideration: Unrivaled will occur at a single site in Miami, and Mabrey wanted a break from the long flights and bus rides that can come with international competition.

Salary was important, too, but it wasn’t everything to her. She wanted to compete against top competition, have access to the amenities and training resources Unrivaled offered, receive equity in the league and also support Unrivaled as a new venture created by her colleagues.

“Having Unrivaled give that opportunity to play 3×3 and … only be 10 weeks, and obviously the financial part of it is great,” Mabrey said. “It’s about what do I need right now? And this is exactly what I needed.”

For other veteran players, the overseas calendar, which caused them to miss winter holidays, became a breaking point.

“Stay with our families for the holidays but still be able to hoop with some of the best in the world: It was kinda a no-brainer for this point in my career,” said 11-year WNBA veteran Kayla McBride, who had played abroad since her rookie season. She carved out one of the most prolific EuroLeague careers in recent seasons with the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe but will compete for Unrivaled this winter.

Brand-building was another appeal of the new league. Unrivaled has partnered with high-profile companies (Under Armour, Samsung Galaxy, State Farm, Wilson and Sephora), and games will air on TNT and stream on Max. Players recognized the opportunity to form new relationships with some of the sponsors.

“Different brands and partnerships (came) in that are different from the WNBA, and hopefully (they will) continue to expand their reach to other players,” Stewart said.

Plus, by remaining in the U.S., players can still make endorsement appearances and maintain broader relevance. Guard Natasha Cloud said players typically leave and go overseas and it’s “blackout season.” But now?

“I can be here and fulfill marketing deals and compete against other women who are the best in the league,” said Unrivaled big Satou Sabally, who has spent her first five WNBA seasons with the Dallas Wings.

Stewart traveled to Istanbul for a partial season with Fenerbahçe in 2022. (She did not compete last season largely for family reasons.) She said that was likely her last time playing professionally abroad.

“I think that overseas door is kinda closed (for me),” said Stewart, who has played more than a half-decade at top clubs in China, Turkey and Russia. “Especially with the way that we’ve set things up. What we’re doing here is really, really special. I think there’s so many things that I love about it, but the fact that we have the top people here, that was the missing thing when we played overseas.”

Not all of the WNBA’s best players are in Unrivaled. Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are among the league’s notable absences, opting to take time away from formal competition while also training privately.

International leagues still drew some top WNBA players who likely would have been offered spots on Unrivaled teams. Kamilla Cardoso and Kelsey Mitchell, for instance, are playing in China, while Tina Charles, Ariel Atkins and Natasha Howard are in Turkey. But of last year’s 24 WNBA All-Stars, only three are scheduled to play abroad this winter. (Jonquel Jones said in October she planned to play in China this offseason, but she has yet to debut. Mitchell is in China while Brionna Jones is playing in Prague.)

Considering Unrivaled’s calendar, it’s possible that in future seasons the league’s players could still compete internationally in the fall (or even in the waning weeks of EuroLeague competition at the end of March and into April before WNBA training camps begin). But even if some of the original Unrivaled 36 play abroad again, the number of WNBA stars choosing to do so seems likely to diminish if the league thrives.

Collier had two stints with Fenerbahçe last season, and though she doesn’t officially rule out a return to an international club, she said it would be “really hard” for her to do so for family reasons. (Collier’s daughter turns 3 in May.) Aliyah Boston, who will be in her third season with the Fever this spring, said that as a self-described homebody, she recognized years ago that she wanted to spend her offseason in the U.S., not playing time zones apart from those she’s closest with. Not surprisingly, she is excited for Unrivaled’s present and future — one that she expects to feature a next generation of women’s basketball stars.

“People not only dream of being in the W, but they’re like now I want to be one of the top players to get in Unrivaled (too),” Boston said.

Of course, players have yet to record any Unrivaled statistics, and the first game, let alone the first season, has yet to be completed. Still, those involved are optimistic about how Unrivaled could change offseason routines for the better.

“Five years from now,” Reese said, “this thing is going to be bigger than ever.”

The Athletic

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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