Unrivaled will begin its inaugural season on Jan. 17, when four teams will square off starting at 7 p.m. EDT. The league announced the initial rosters for its six teams last month. Highlighted by New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, they included emerging and established WNBA All-Stars from across the league.
Collier and Stewart, who earned All-WNBA First Team selections after stellar seasons of their own, founded the 3-on-3 league in 2023. Unrivaled announced it had closed a Series A investment round and secured $28 million in additional funding on Monday. Highlighted by South Carolina Women's Basketball Head Coach Dawn Staley, USC guard Juju Watkins and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Joe Ingles, the new round of funding pushed Unrivaled's total capital raised up to $35 million.
"As women's sports continue to surge in popularity and impact, we're inspired by the growing momentum around Unrivaled and grateful for the strong support from our investors," Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said in a Monday release. "Our players haven't even taken the court yet and the foundation we are building with our partners unites unparalleled expertise, strategic insight, and an incredible product. Together, we're setting the stage for Unrivaled for years to come."
Former Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon was among one of the six coaches hired to take up a head coaching spot in Unrivaled's inaugural season. The league hired its coaches with a focus on player development and "unparalleled training experiences," it wrote in a November release. Along with her five-season stint as the full-time head coach of Louisiana Tech, Weatherspoon spent time with the New Orleans Pelicans as a two-way player development coach and full-time assistant coach from 2019 to 2023.
Angel Reese, Rose BC
Reese, a three-time All-Defensive selection across the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences, played and started in 34 games for the Sky since she was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-3 forward earned a total of 274 defensive rebounds during the 2024 season, putting her 12 ahead of Stewart for fifth place in the WNBA. She is already in 14th place on the Chicago Sky's all-time rebounding list and sixth on its all-time offensive rebounding list.
Reese could benefit from her stint with Rose BC in a league with a focus on player development. Reese's strength and defense can play a valuable role in competing with some of the WNBA's best big options from the season prior. While her defensive prowess made her a valuable part of the Sky's roster, improving her finishing on the interior and upping her jumper can elevate her offensive game before the start of the 2025 WNBA season.
Kahleah Copper, Rose BC
Copper, a former standout for Rutgers and a first-round selection for the Washinton Mystics, was included in a 2017 trade that sent MVP forward Elena Delle Donne to Washington. Copper took home Finals MVP when Chicago won its first WNBA title in 2021, when she averaged 17 points per game as the Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury in four games. The recent All-WNBA Second Team selection earned three All-Star selections during her time in Chicago and one more in Phoenix.
The scoring guard averaged a career-high 21.1 points per game in her first season with the Mercury, putting her in third place in the league in points per contest. She first returned to Wintrust Arena in August, where she dropped 29 points and hit three of her five long-range attempts on her former home court. Copper's scoring and shooting prowess will make her an ideal option alongside the frontcourt rotation of Reese and Los Angeles Sparks forward Azura Stevens and a strong fit alongside Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray.
Azura Stevens, Rose BC
Stevens spent three seasons with the Sky after being acquired in a 2020 trade that sent forward Katie Lou Samuelson to the Dallas Wings. She made her case for Sixth Woman of the Year in 2022, when she played a key role off the bench for Chicago in both the regular season and the playoffs. Stevens signed with the Sparks in 2023 and earned a contract extension earlier this year. She averaged 9.6 points and seven rebounds per game in her second year with Los Angeles.
Stevens will complete a Rose BC roster headlined by Copper, Reese and Gray. Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull and Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes round out the squad led by head coach Nola Henry. Stevens was paired up with Sykes on the 2024 USA 3x3 Women's AmeriCup Team in Puerto Rico. The pair, along with Wings forward Maddy Siegrist and Connecticut Sun guard Abbey Hsu, earned a silver medal with a loss to Team Canada on Sunday. Stevens and Sykes's recent time with a national 3x3 squad can give them an advantage when Unrivaled starts its regular season play next month.
Stefanie Dolson, Laces BC
Dolson made an immediate impact on the Sky's roster after joining Copper in the Delle Donne trade. She played in 133 games and started in 115 during her five seasons in Chicago. The 6-foot-5 center earned her first All-Star selection in her debut year with Chicago, joining guard Allie Quigley in representing a Sky squad that would ultimately miss the playoffs for the first time since 2012. She would sign with the New York Liberty in 2022 and the Mystics before the 2024 season.
Dolson can add size and extra shooting to a Laces roster that features Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, a five-time All-Star with two consecutive All-WNBA First-Team selections. Dolson hit 46.5% of her 3-point attempts last season, including all six of her long-range tries in an August loss to the Lynx.
Marina Mabrey, Phantom BC
The Sky pushed all their chips in on Mabrey with a 2023 trade that sent a handful of draft picks to the Liberty, Mercury and Dallas Wings. Guard Diamond DeShields and forward Michaela Onyenwere, who were involved in the four-team trade, both played for the Sky last season. Mabrey's scoring and shooting impact on the Sky made her one of the team's top scorers before she was ultimately dealt to the Sun in July, where she played a key scoring role off the bench for the remainder of the regular season.
Mabrey will join a roster with plenty of star power that features Wings forward Satou Sabally, Aces guard Jackie Young and Mercury center Brittney Griner. Mabrey signed with Under Armour, who announced they would be Unrivaled's official uniform partner last week, in 2023. Her stout scoring and shooting will be key in ensuring Phantom BC can keep pace with some of the league's more prominent guard pairings, starting with its first matchup against the Laces on Jan. 18.
Courtney Vandersloot, Mist BC
A Sky legend through and through, Vandersloot built her way up to Chicago's all-time leader in assists and steals in her 12 seasons with the Sky. She helped take Chicago to its first WNBA championship win in 2021, where she averaged an astounding 12.5 assists per game as the Sky prevailed against the Mercury in four games. She signed with the Liberty in 2023, where she would win her second championship with a star-studded and versatile New York roster.
Vandersloot will join an incredible Mist guard tandem that features a six-time All-Star in Jewell Loyd and the league's Most Improved Player in Sun guard DiJonai Carrington. Her connection with Stewart and passing ability can give Mist BC a leg up from day one, even as they take on Collier and the Lunar Owls in their debut game.
Courtney Williams, Laces BC
From one Courtney to another.
Williams, an 9-year WNBA veteran with five squads, played and started in 40 games for the Sky in 2023. Williams joined Collier and the Lynx in 2024. She played hero in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, where she willed the Lynx to an overtime win over the Liberty with 10 points in the fourth quarter and five in overtime. The former USF guard earned an All-Star selection in 2021 with the Atlanta Dream.
Williams will be paired with a Lynx teammate in guard Kayla McBride and now-Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin in the Laces backcourt. The Laces still sport an open wild card slot before the start of the Unrivaled regular season.