Breanna Stewart Could Learn a Lesson From Ice Cube’s Struggles With NBA as Unrivaled Nears Much-Awaited Launch

Isn’t the WNBA the place to be for any aspiring female basketball star? In May this year, the league recorded its highest attendance month in the last two decades, largely thanks to Caitlin Clark, whose arrival has helped fill arenas up to 94%. While the WNBA salaries aren’t great currently, these numbers will eventually generate more revenue and thus, increase the chances of a higher salary. However, many stars have found other avenues to earn. After Ice Cube’s Big3, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier unveiled the model of their new league, Unrivaled.

“For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income,” they said. As the league already aimed at making history, the WNBA’s viewership, which just got a boost, might again be at stake. Now, Unrivaled is only five months short of making its debut. Will the WNBA stay quiet? Maybe. For sure, the WNBA’s response and the success of this league are unknown. But, there’s something known that Stewart needs to take a lesson from: Ice Cube.

The NBA feels threatened by Ice Cube’s Big3 league?

Similar to what Stewart and Collier have planned with Unrivaled, Ice Cube already did with the Big 3 league. The rapper collaborated with entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017 to unveil the new league. And it had a unique idea behind its launch. It aimed at playing 3-on-3 while having both former and international players on its roster.

Even Ice Cube planned to give away big financial figures. According to multiple reports, he offered Big 3 players a staggering $10,000 per game along with performance-based bonuses. This means each player had a chance to earn $100,000 per season. Well, this figure looks impressive until you compare it with the NBA’s average per annum salary of $10.28 million.

Then, why would the NBA seemingly be threatened by Big 3? Competition. “I’m not trying to compete in any way, shape or form with the NBA. We are very complementary,” said Ice Cube in his new podcast series Gatekeepers. According to Ice Cube, his Big 3 is consistently targeted despite all this. He even mentioned the unique ways Adam Silver and the NBA try to eliminate the competition.

“So, I don’t understand why they would do some of the things that’s being done behind the scenes. Encouraging people to not sponsor us, encouraging networks not to play us,” the rapper said. While this isn’t something new, fighting back certainly is.

Moving forward, he even mentioned, “We got to fight back in some way, shape, or form.” And Ice Cube did. He attracted players by every possible means. Marketing is probably the best way to do it. But Ice Cube does it in his own unique way. He offers while challenging. During his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, he challenged the 3×3 Olympic gold medal-winning team to take on any of the Big 3’s teams.

He even pledged to give away $100,000, nearly ten times a monthly salary, to the winning team. “We feel like they should have the Big 3 players in the Olympics…We do have the best 3-on-3 players in the world, and it’s not even close,” he said. What makes this process even more intriguing is the Team USA Men’s 3×3 roster’s current standings in Paris. Breanna Stewart’s league can learn from this.

A new earning avenue for women’s basketball stars courtesy of Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier

The WNBA will most likely be affected by the introduction of this new league. While it won’t be a big competitor initially, there’s every chance Unrivaled can rival the pro league eventually. In fact, it already has been affected as ten spots are already filled on the roster.

Even UConn Huskie guard, Paige Bueckers, one of the most talented players in next season’s draft class, has inked an NIL deal with Unrivaled. Sure enough, players are attracted to the freedom and higher salaries. The average WNBA salary in 2023 was $147, 745. No wonder players go overseas to play in various leagues around the world that offer higher salaries than the WNBA does. Unrivaled will provide a solution close to home for all these WNBA stars.

While this will only act as a means to earn for players during the WNBA offseason, there might be some pushback from the franchises. Nonetheless, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has welcomed Unrivaled’s impending launch.

Just like Big 3, Unrivaled is going to be 3-on-3 and one-on-one at a soundstage in Miami. With 6 teams and 30 players, the new women’s league is scheduled to make its debut in January 2025. And it couldn’t come at a better time. According to the WNBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement, if players did not report to their team by the start of the season, they’d be suspended without pay for the year. This might ruin the chances of these players from playing overseas as these leagues continue till the summer on many occasions.

Unrivaled won’t have this issue. Following Brittney Griner’s detainment in Russia in 2022, players as it is hesitate to go to other countries in the offseason now. All things seem to point towards a positive start for Unrivaled. Now, the question is: Will Breanna Stewart be able to learn from Big 3’s issues with the NBA? Only time will tell.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection Silas Demary Jr.