“I think top players, they want to be playing, right?” Breanna Stewart stated during the announcement of the Unrivaled in July last year. Stewart’s motive behind developing the Unrivaled was to give WNBA stars a place to groom their skills in the off-season. Hence, she, along with Napheesa Collier, agreed to be the co-founder of the 3*3 league. But, one question that troubled her was where could the league base its roots. After pondering over different locations, it was finally decided that the league would take place in Miami from January to March.

And now that January 2025 is just months away, Stewart came to the fore to reveal the real reason behind founding the league in Miami. Stewart was present in a chat before the New York Liberty’s clash against the Phoenix Mercury when she spoke about the reason for choosing Miami as the hub of Unrivaled.

“Well, I think, we wanted the city that was gonna be obviously warm in the off-season. Something that’s different than an actual WNBA market. And, you know, who doesn’t want to be in Miami in winter months?” Stewart stated.

The league is expected to kick off in January next year with 30 players in six franchises. All the players will be equity holders in the league and as of now, the league has announced signing 15 stars, a procedure that started with Stewart being the first one in July this year. This is expected to provide a ground for athletes to improve their skills and also help them ply their trade in the USA itself during the off-season.

Furthermore, the minimum salary in the Unrivaled is expected to start from $100,000 onwards which will be a fair compensation to stars considering that they are not extremely satisfied with the W which is another reason for them to look for leagues in the different parts of the world. Stewart had further stated, when declaring herself as one of the 30 players, that the women’s basketball players have to rely on endorsements for money and hence, the new league will be “prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay.” And many popular W stars have followed Stewart.

Which players have joined the Unrivaled?

As of now Stewart, Collier, Angel Reese, Chelsea Gray, and Kahleah Copper are some of the popular players participating in the league. However, the list is not limited to them. The official announcements of the athletes began in July this year with Stewart being the first and the most recent signing being that of Allisha Gray. While fans are happy that the W stars will be active even in the off-season, a section of followers also want Caitlin Clark to take part in the league.

Clark, however, has responded that she isn’t looking for anything beyond the upcoming games as of now and wants to concentrate on them. Hopefully, she will be able to engage in the league and announce her decision once the W season is over.

Meanwhile, fans would be lining up in Miami to purchase tickets to the Unrivaled. Perhaps, the weather will play a major role in deciding whether they want to attend Unrivaled or not.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.