All Access

Media Deals

Media Deals Alerts

Alert

Standard

Media Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Media Deals

BFD Expert Voices

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women's basketball league that tips off on Friday, will measure success based on how many players want to return next year, its president Alex Bazzell tells Axios. 

Why it matters: Unrivaled is making a big bet that the star power of WNBA players — without Caitlin Clark — is enough to break through in an increasingly cluttered sports market.

Zoom in: The upstart league views its existence as complementary to the WNBA, while also trying to bridge the pay gap with male athletes.

"I think we indirectly help each other make money," Bazzell says. "Keeping the spotlight on these players longer is great for them."

When asked how he'll measure success in year one, Bazzell says the No. 1 goal is player experience.

"When the players leave here, do they feel like this needs to be a part of their routine forever? As long as we have the best players, we're always going to have a great chance to succeed."

Between the lines: Unlike other leagues, Unrivaled's 30 players all have equity in the league, which vests over four years, Bazzell says.

That's in addition to the highest average salary in women's sports: The $222,222 average is more than the WNBA's max contract of $214,466 for next season.

Catch up quick: Unrivaled has had no shortage of investor interest to prop up its launch.

"We got to a point where we had to turn down investors," Bazzell says. "We wanted people who could add value to the business, not just on a press release, but wanted to use their network or roll up their sleeves."

Unrivaled has raised $35 million to date. Its investor list is a who's who of sports royalty, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dawn Staley, Michael Phelps and USC star JuJu Watkins.

Warner Bros. Discovery, which will air the league's games across TNT, TruTV and Max, is also an investor.

What's next: Unrivaled is using NIL deals with college stars as a way to recruit for future seasons, Bazzell says.

The league has so far signed NIL deals with UConn's Paige Bueckers and LSU's Flau'Jae Johnson that give them equity for a commitment to play in the league when they turn pro.

"There's a lot of incentives for [them], there's incentives for us by getting attached early, and some of the biggest names in women's basketball are at the collegiate level," he says. "That's a model we're really intrigued in."

Unrivaled basketball league tips off in crowded sports market

The 3-on-3 women's league aims to bridge the pay gap with men.

Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty and Napheesa Collier

Breanna Stewart (left) and Napheesa Collier (right) co-founded Unrivaled. Photo: David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women&#x27;s basketball league that tips off on Friday, will measure success based on how many players want to return next year, its president Alex Bazzell tells Axios. Why it matters: Unrivaled is making a big bet that the star power of WNBA players — without Caitlin Clark — is enough to break through in an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="increasingly cluttered" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2025/01/07/womens-sports-investors-bet-on-volleyball-breakout" data-vars-content-id="9d825649-44a7-4da4-8737-7daf27bb792c" data-vars-headline="Unrivaled basketball league tips off in crowded sports market" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2025/01/07/womens-sports-investors-bet-on-volleyball-breakout" target="_self">increasingly cluttered</a> sports market.

Unrivaled basketball league tips off in crowded sports market

What to read next