Imagine winning $200,000 in 30 minutes of play. Sounds like a dream, right? But for Napheesa Collier, that was her reality at Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament — the largest single-day payout in women’s basketball history. As Collier raised her $200,000 winner’s check, there was something unmistakable in the air: a comparison between her groundbreaking achievement and the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, which, let’s face it, has been in the crosshairs for all the wrong reasons. If Collier’s breakout performance underscored a future full of opportunity and validation for women, the NBA’s midseason talent show, well, was struggling to get with it.

Analyst Gary Striewski did not mince words during The Elle Duncan Show on ESPN, sharing his opinions on NBA’s All-Star Weekend. He said, “It’s a million dollars to the winner; you’ve got to bring your own check. Now, I don’t know what it’s like to get a million-dollar deposit in my account, but I would venture to say, especially if you’re an All-Star—which means you’re good—being on an All-Star contract, a million dollars doesn’t do it for you.”

He continued, “Now, for Napheesa Collier, winning her entire salary in a one-on-one match would be significant, but I don’t see the NBA doing something comparable in that realm. For example, saying, ‘Let’s have this tournament or a one-on-one where the winner walks away with 40 million.’ That’s just not going to happen.” And he wasn’t wrong. For players already earning fortunes, even major cash prizes hardly seem to inject much buzz into what plays out.

Striewski, in fact, questioned whether even a $60 million award would do much to spur real competition. “The dollar amounts like that, in my opinion, are going to be the only way you sort of entice these guys. But who wants to support these athletes making 40, 50, 60 million dollars to give effort during an exhibition? I certainly don’t want to be one of those supporters.” After all, if you can’t deliver the goods with the money, why should fans keep dishing out for a mediocre spectacle?

And then there’s Collier, who earned $200,000 in less time than it takes to binge a couple of episodes of your favorite show. In fact, she made in 30 minutes more than her whole WNBA season salary ($220,000).

Napheesa Collier one of the flag bearers leading women’s basketball

“My entire WNBA salary is what I just got in 30 minutes of playing one-on-one,” Collier said, “which is insane to even say.” Not only did her win reward her, but her teammates also pocketed $10,000 each, while second-placed Aaliyah Edwards took home a respectable $50,000. Talk about making waves!

That $350,000 prize pool was not just a big deal for Collier — it was a game-changer for women’s basketball. It sent a message loud and clear: women athletes don’t need to look overseas anymore for financial opportunities.

“This shows what happens when athletes design leagues for athletes” per Collier, and it certainly looks like the co-founding model of Unrivaled is doing the trick! The tournament was an example that when you put the athletes’ needs first, big things can happen. Unrivaled isn’t just a story of competition; it’s also about financial empowerment.

Collier’s $200K payday is more than a dollar amount; it’s a testament to what happens when women athletes are provided with the resources, platforms, and incentives they need and deserve. And so, in that respect, it is so much more than simply a win in one single tournament-it’s a sign that things are changing. And they’re changing in a positive way.