Several stars set to play at Unrivaled league, but not Caitlin Clark
THOUGH Caitlin Clark has reportedly not signed to play, there is no lack of star power among the rosters unveiled by Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 winter women’s basketball league, on Wednesday.
Unrivaled, co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, revealed the rosters as it prepares for its inaugural opening day on Jan. 17.
In addition to Collier and Stewart, reigning rebounding leader Angel Reese, second-leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale and several other WNBA All-Stars are set to play. Others include Aliyah Boston, Jewell Loyd, Dearica Hamby, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Brittney Griner.
ESPN reported on Wednesday that Clark will not play in the upstart league.
The league will feature six teams and 34 players, though a pair of teams will have each have a wild-card roster spot to fill. Players were put into six pods, with bigs, wings and guards in each pod. Unrivaled’s six coaches selected one player from each pod and assigned the player to one of the six teams. None of the coaches knew which team they would be assigned.
Aiming to supplement players’ income between WNBA seasons, the league promises the highest average salary in the history of women’s professional sports. Among the investors are Megan Rapinoe, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and Alex Morgan.
A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu are among the WNBA stars who have yet to join Unrivaled. UConn star Paige Buecker signed an NIL deal with the league but will not participate in games this season. She’s the first NCAA athlete to have a stake in the ownership equity of a league.
Collier and Stewart’s teams will face off in the league’s opener on Jan. 17. The season will last eight weeks and culminate in the championship on March 17.
TNT will handle broadcasting duties, with games also appearing on TruTV and streamed on Max. TNT will air games on Monday and Friday nights, with Saturday night games airing on TruTV. — Reuters
