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Rank 182Up 2
#18 in Rising Fastest
of 20 ranked entries
Unrivaled Basketball
3-on-3 women’s basketball league · founded by Napheesa Collier & Breanna Stewart, launched January 2025
Built by two current WNBA stars specifically to give elite players a well-paid, lower-travel alternative to overseas winter leagues, Unrivaled’s fast 3-on-3 format and strong first-season viewership numbers have made it one of the more closely watched new sports business launches in recent memory. Recorded specifics: category Business & industry, home rank 39, rank gain 9. Panel highlighted founded and partly owned by the athletes themselves, an unusually direct equity stake for a new professional league, player salaries were structured to compete directly with the overseas winter-league pay that had been the previous standard and compact 3-on-3 format and shorter season reduced travel demands that had long frustrated top women’s basketball players. The reservation on record is as a first-year league, long-term financial sustainability and broadcast-deal durability are both still unproven.
Business & industry
Score breakdown
How Unrivaled Basketball earned 74.1
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Rising Fastest.
- Rate of rank gainweight 35%
- 76.2
- Engagement growthweight 25%
- 71.2
- Trend durabilityweight 20%
- 73.3
- Editorial confidenceweight 20%
- 74.8
On the record
Recorded detail
| Category | Business & industry |
|---|---|
| Home rank | 39 |
| Rank gain | 9 |
| Momentum | 7.7 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Founded and partly owned by the athletes themselves, an unusually direct equity stake for a new professional league
- Player salaries were structured to compete directly with the overseas winter-league pay that had been the previous standard
- Compact 3-on-3 format and shorter season reduced travel demands that had long frustrated top women’s basketball players
Where it gives ground
- As a first-year league, long-term financial sustainability and broadcast-deal durability are both still unproven
1 appearance
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