What is Unrivaled? A new league that promises high pay and big stars

After winning a gold medal in the debut of three-on-three basketball in the 2021 Olympic Games, Kelsey Plum said she would no longer compete in the event, moving her international focus to five-on-five — a gamble that paid off, as Plum will represent Team USA in Paris on the five-on-five team.

Plum emphasized that she would continue to play three-on-three during her WNBA offseasons, however, as a way to stay sharp. “I have a ton of fun when I play, and it is a different feel in terms of the intensity and the pace,” Plum said. “It’s definitely something that I encourage everyone to try.”

The learning experiences from three-on-three helped vault Plum into one of the best players in the world, and in an interesting turn of events, the Olympian now finds herself playing it competitively once again, though not in the red, white and blue. Plum was announced on Monday as the sixth participant in Unrivaled, an American three-on-three league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart that is groundbreaking in its compensation structure. Unrivaled promises to give its players unprecedented pay and equity in the league as it pioneers a new model for women’s sports leagues in the U.S.

Player announcements began on July 9, and will continue until the 30-player league pool is full. The current roster is below.

Unrivaled is a new pro women’s three-on-three league that will tip off in January 2025. It promises to pay the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history and will give equity in the league to its inaugural participants, enabling the athletes to profit from Unrivaled for years to come. The league was founded by WNBA superstars Collier and Stewart and has a long list of high-powered investors, including Alex Morgan, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Megan Rapinoe and former ESPN and Turner presidents John Skipper and David Levy.



https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5639682/2024/07/15/unrivaled-kelsey-plum-wnba-league/