Rose BC started the season with a 1-4 record and they did not get past the .500 mark until February 21. Even ESPN predicted them to finish bottom in the inaugural season of Unrivaled behind Lunar Owls, Phantom, Vinyl, Mist and Laces. But Angel Reese and Co. defied those odds and won the 3×3 league. While Angel Reese could not participate in the final six regular-season games because of a nagging wrist injury, it still marks her first championship since turning pro last year. So, understandably, the Chi-Town Barbie could not resist sharing the sweet-smelling roses of victory and took to X to celebrate the win. “WHAT YALL GON SAY NOW?? 🌹,” the LSU alum wrote. Unfortunately, though, this launched a different conversation entirely—with the Unrivaled league caught in the crossfires. But before we get to that…

Before her injury, Reese was out there being a one-woman clean-up crew. Leading the league in rebounding with 12.1 boards per game, she earned the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award and grabbed a spot in the All-Unrivaled Second Team. The 22-year-old powered Rose BC through an eight-game winning streak and etched her name in history as the first player to notch a 20-20 game in Unrivaled. Not bad for someone who was, at one point, written off as just “too hood, too ghetto” for the game.

As for the championship game, Chelsea Gray scored a game-high 18 points with eight assists, winning the Unrivaled Playoff MVP award. Yet, the controversy was far from over.

The incident unfolded as one Angel Reese fan chose to point out, “And yall said Angel wouldn’t win a professional ring before a certain somebody else😶.” No names were mentioned, but we all know who this was directed at. The reference here is to Reese’s long-time rival Caitlin Clark. Clark opted out of Unrivaled for some much-needed rest this year, but that wasn’t about to put an end to the comparisons.

Rose BC took down Vinyl BC 62-54 after overcoming a slow start to the season and injuries to Reese and Kahleah Copper to become the first champions of the 3×3 league. And then there were Azurá Stevens and Brittney Sykes, who also stepped up in a major way to lead the charge against Vinyl BC. Stevens was a beast in the paint, dropping 19 points and grabbing an astounding 18 rebounds, Sykes poured in 21 points, ensuring that even without Reese, Rose BC wouldn’t back down.

Having said that, Reese’s tweet was enough to incite fan wars on social media. Because, let’s be honest, these rivalries give enough content to talk about after the games. Remember Diana Taurasi vs. Alana Beard in the early 2000s? That was peak basketball drama. Anyway, poor Unrivaled, too, got dragged into the mix. From their comments, it was clear that the league failed to impress the community.

The age-old debates resurfaced, much like they did with the WNBA’s early days.

Angel Reese’s win overshadowed

Fans started flooding the comment section, asking if the win in Unrivaled even counts as a ring. “Gurl a 6-team, 8-week offseason league is not a f–king ring 😂. Desperate much?” Another fan threw in a comparison between the NBA and the Big 3 league. “…. Do BIG3 championships count towards an NBA player’s career package?”

Well, this isn’t a new argument—similar doubts were cast on the WNBA in its early years, with many questioning whether it could ever match the NBA’s credibility. But it has been 28 years, and the league is only on an upward path. A similar case can hence be made for Unrivaled even though many argue that a “real ring” requires surviving a grueling, months-long season with playoffs, making Unrivaled’s championship seem more like a summer showcase. How can we expect so much though? It is still in its early stages. Yet, one social media user wrote, “3v3 is hardly pro. Oh, how many minutes did AR get during the playoffs and finals.” 

One fan completely dismissed the league, saying, “Yall are talking about UNRIVALED?😭😭😭😭.” Let’s not forget that the Chi-town Barbie pocketed a total of $300,000 for participating in the 10-week league. An average salary of $250,000 and a win bonus of $50,000, which nearly matches her four-year, $324,383 rookie WNBA contract. So, the fact that this comment comes despite that is a bit confusing. “No way yall hyping that 3v3 league shit 😂😂,” wrote another user, while someone pointed out, “3v3 ain’t it,” criticizing Reese’s win.

“Unrivaled is clown ball,” one comment noted. “If you’re gonna count unrivaled, you absolutely have to count Clark’s 3 gold medals which she got before angel even got her 1st ring. Lol,” was another opinion from a Caitlin Clark fan. “If y’all counting unrivaled rings lmaooo y’all might as well count high school championships too. And middle school rings 😭😭,” one more comment read.

Another user, in order to mock the 3×3 league, took shots not only at Angel Reese but even at Chicago Sky. “The sky have to make the playoffs first for that to even happen. 💀.” Again, this user implied that winning championships in Unrivaled doesn’t mean an iota of what it does to win a WNBA championship. The Chicago Sky, the team that drafted Reese in the 2024 WNBA Draft, didn’t qualify for the postseason last year. However, they also played only games with a healthy roster. We just cannot ignore that aspect.

Going beyond the debate, one fan brought forth the question that must also live rent-free in most minds. “We love how the ‘certain someone else’ lives rent free. ☺️ You can’t even let Angel celebrate a victory without bringing her up. It’s almost like you’re a fan.🤔.” The remark was also a playful jab at how Clark critics seem to be keeping closer tabs on Reese than their favorite star. Fair enough.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and here’s WNBA prodigy Caitlin Bickle’s candid take on the intense Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese rivalry and a lot more!