Unrivaled is coming to Philly on its first and only tour stop
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Philly's own Kahleah Copper drives to the net during an Unrivaled game in January 2025. Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Unrivaled, the upstart 3x3 pro women's basketball league, is hitting the road. First stop: Philly.
Why it matters: Philadelphia — fresh off winning a WNBA expansion bid — will soon host its first pro women's basketball games since 1998, league and city officials announced Thursday.
Driving the news: The nascent, Miami-based league is bringing two games to Philly's Xfinity Mobile Arena on Jan. 30. The action tips off at 7:30pm and will be broadcast on TNT, truTV and HBOMax.
- Philly is the only stop planned outside Miami this season, Unrivaled representatives tell Axios. The league will announce which teams are coming to town at a later date.
- Local sports fans' passion makes Philadelphia the "perfect stage" for the league, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement.
Star power: Comedian Wanda Sykes, who leads the Philadelphia Sisters group that helped shepherd efforts for a Philly WNBA team, and Philly rapper Tierra Whack helped hype Thursday's announcement.
Behind the scenes: The Sisters worked for months to convince Unrivaled to bring the league to the city, says Sisters co-founder and Sykes' wife, Alex Niedbalski-Sykes.
- They "rolled out the red carpet" for the Unrivaled delegation during a daylong tour, visiting city landmarks, the South Philly sports complex and Philly's finest restaurants, Niedbalski-Sykes tells Axios.
- League officials met with city leaders, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, who has been one of the Sisters' biggest supporters.
"Everybody showed up in so many great ways. It's a bold move" for Unrivaled, Niedbalski-Sykes says. "We're super excited for them to trust us."
- The Sisters and Unrivaled will hold a series of pop-up events to build up excitement in the lead-up to the games.
The big picture: Unrivaled is shaking up the sport — paying record salaries, giving players equity and showcasing a playground-style game built for heart-thumping drama.
- The league, now valued at $340 million, has rapidly grown since debuting in January, adding new players, teams and investors for the upcoming season, which tips off Jan. 5.
How it works: Unrivaled blends pro polish with street hoops flair — think high-level ball meets Rucker Park, the Harlem haven where basketball legends are made.
- The league's condensed season and creative rules — smaller courts, shorter quarters and game-point walkoffs — create a fast, exciting pace that fuels Unrivaled's social media hype engine.
- It runs during the WNBA offseason — giving players an alternative to playing overseas.
Context: Philly hasn't hosted a pro women's game since Dawn Staley played for the Philadelphia Rage before the American Basketball League folded in 1998.
- Sykes — who was among Unrivaled's early investors — and her wife have worked quietly for years to try to bring a WNBA team to Philly, courting celebrities, star athletes and city bigwigs.
- Earlier this year, the WNBA awarded Philly a team, which will be run by Sixers owner, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), with Comcast having a minority stake. It debuts in 2030.
- The Sisters haven't said whether they'll also be shareholders in the new team.
What's ahead: Unrivaled's announcement is one of "many irons in the fire and a bigger journey" for women's sports in Philly, Ashley Lunkenheimer, one of the Sisters' co-founders, tells Axios.
What we're watching: How a power struggle between Unrivaled's co-founder — Minnesota Lynx star and WNBA players union VP Napheesha Collier — and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert over ongoing contract negotiations plays out.