What is unmatched? Rules, rosters for the new basketball league

Women’s basketball has grown at an exponential rate over the past several years. On Friday, it expands even more when Unrivaled tips off in Miami.

A new 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled, is a domestic opportunity for WNBA players to compete in the offseason. But for those who helped make the league a reality, it was about bringing competitive basketball back to its simplest, rawest form, like playing hoops on the playground.

“Everything was built for the players,” Luke Cooper, Unrivaled’s president of basketball operations, told ESPN. “The business was built for the players, the facility was built for the players, and the game itself — the 3-on-3 court is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the league ahead of its inaugural season.

What is unmatched?

Since the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997, many of the league’s players have gone overseas to continue playing in the offseason — both to supplement their income and find high-level competition.

Founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled provides an opportunity for 36 of the best WNBA players to stay in the United States for an eight-week season that runs from January 17 to March 17 in a purpose-built facility in Miami. It is not the first domestic alternative league. Athletes Unlimited, a 5-on-5 league that launched in 2022, will play its fourth season from Feb. 5 to March 2 in Nashville, where 29 of 40 participants have WNBA experience.

But Unrivaled, which will consist of six teams, looks set to stand out with its salaries, facilities and style of play.

“It was built by basketball people for basketball players,” Cooper said. “That’s our north star … We have an incredible pool of 36 players who want to make each other better, so we’re unique in that sense in the market.”

Unmatched aims to be the first league to compete with the WNBA financially and with its resources.

How much do players get paid?

Unmatched officials said the league has surpassed $35 million in funding, with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, US Open champion Coco Gauff, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC star JuJu Watkins among the investors.

When the league was announced, one of Unrivaled’s selling points was that its average salaries would be higher than the WNBA’s — albeit with a quarter as many players.

The average salary in the WNBA in 2024 was around $119,500, with the highest around $242,000.

Unrivaled has said it offers “the highest average salary in women’s professional sports (teams). League president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation in December that Unrivaled has a combined salary pool of $8 million, which puts the league’s average salary at about $222,222.

In addition to their salary, unmatched players receive equity in the league. Unmatched officials declined to discuss the league’s player compensation with ESPN.

Which players are involved?

Unmatched set out to get as many top WNBA players as possible to commit to the league. When league officials told them, they simply had a concept: “This is what we hope it’s going to look like,” and “this is what we want it to feel like.”

“I give a lot of credit to these players,” Cooper said. “They took a risk.”

The 36 players competing in Unrivaled this season include seven No. 1 WNBA draft pick (Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young, Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner), a WNBA MVP (Stewart) and 17 former Olympians.

Cameron Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, has committed to play in Unrivaled but will sit out this season as she recovers from an ACL injury in June 2024.

A’ja Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, and Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark chose not to participate in Unrivaled this season.

UConn senior Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft, and LSU junior Flau’Jae Johnson have signed NIL deals with Unrivaled. Bueckers is expected to join the league in 2026.

How were the rosters built?

On November 20th, all six undefeated head coaches met in Miami to select the teams. Thirty-four of the league’s 36 players (the two wild-card spots were still being decided) were divided into six pods based on positions and playing style. From there, the six coaches worked together to create each team, selecting at least one player from each pod with the goal of building balanced rosters.

But the coaches had no idea which teams they wanted to lead until after the selection process was complete.

“It was putting the burden back on the coaches,” Cooper said.

Jump to Unrivaled’s listings

Where will Unrivaled be played and how long is the season?

The unprecedented season will last eight weeks, including the playoffs, and will be played exclusively at the MediaPro Center in Miami. There will be games every week on Monday, Friday and Saturday.

The regular season will consist of a round-robin format, with the six teams facing each opponent at least once, and each team playing 14 games. The top four teams, based on record, advance to the playoffs. Head-to-head records and point differential will serve as tiebreakers.

The playoffs begin on March 16 – which is also Selection Sunday for men’s and women’s college basketball – with two single-elimination semifinal games. The championship game is March 17.

Unrivaled also recently announced that it will be holding a 1v1 tournament from February 10th to the 14th, pitting players against each other in a single-elimination, winner-take-all competition with a reward of $250,000 for the winner and an additional $10,000 for their 3-on-3 teammates.

How do Unrivaled’s 3v3 rules differ from the Olympic 3×3 event?

Unmatched will be played on a 49.2-by-72-foot compacted full court instead of the half-court (36 feet by 49 feet) used at the Olympics. For reference, the WNBA is played on a 94 x 50 foot court.

“It feels like you’re watching a basketball game and there happen to be four less players on the court,” Cooper said. “It’s not a gimmick. It’s basketball with more space to operate with and a slightly shorter court, so the players have the stamina to play.”

Each overtime game will feature three seven-minute quarters and a fourth quarter, which the league calls the “winning score.” The winning score will be decided by adding 11 points to the leading team’s score through three quarters. For example, if the score is 50-48 entering the final quarter, the first team to reach 61 points wins. There will never be overtime.

“This game is rooted in how you would play basketball as a kid on a black top,” Cooper said. “There is flow. There is pace.”

Unmatched organizers hope playing to a goal score eliminates late mistakes and speeds up the game overall. To that end, the free throw process will also be different. When a player is fouled — whether on a layup or a 3-pointer — only one free throw will be awarded. The single shot is worth two points for a foul on a 2-point field goal or three points if the foul occurred on a 3-point attempt. A free throw attempt after a foul on a made basket is worth one point.

Players will foul after their sixth foul, but if the team only has three players available and one of them gets a sixth foul, the player will remain in the game but incur technical fouls for each additional foul they commit.

The games will use an 18-second shot clock compared to the WNBA’s 24 seconds, and the clock will only be stopped on made baskets in the final 30 seconds of periods instead of in the final minute.

Except for the tip-off at the start of the game, all bounce ball situations are replaced with alternating possessions.

Who are the coaches?

The six head coaches have varying levels of experience in the NBA and WNBA, with former Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon and former NBA assistant coach Phil Handy, who most recently spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Weatherspoon will lead Vinyl while Handy will train Mist.

Former Washington Mystics assistant Andrew Wade will lead the Laces, and Nola Henry, who recently spent time with the Los Angeles Sparks, will coach Rose. Adam Harrington, a former assistant and director of player development for the Brooklyn Nets, will coach the Phantoms. And WNBA and NBA skills coach DJ Sackmann will coach the Lunar Owls.

How to watch Unrivaled

Monday and Friday night games are played on TNT, the league’s broadcast rights holder. Saturday games will be shown on TruTV. All games will also be available for streaming on Max.

---

Unmatched shift schedules

Laces BC

Stefanie Dolson, F/C, Washington Mystics
Tiffany Hayes, G, Las Vegas Aces
Kate Martin, G, Golden State Valkyries
Kayla McBride, G, Minnesota Lynx
Alyssa Thomas, F, Connecticut Sun
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Aces

Moon owls BC

Shakira Austin, F/C, Washington Mystics
Cameron Brink, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Napheesa Collier, G, Minnesota Lynx
Skylar Diggins-Smith, G, Seattle Storm
Allisha Gray, G, Atlanta Dream
Courtney Williams, G, Minnesota Lynx

Lose BC

DiJonai Carrington, G, Connecticut Sun
Aaliyah Edwards, F, Washington Mystics
Rickea Jackson, F, Los Angeles Sparks
Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart, F, New York Liberty
Courtney Vandersloot, G, New York Liberty

Phantom BC

Natasha Cloud, G, Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner, C, Phoenix Mercury
Sabrina Ionescu, G, New York Liberty
Marina Mabrey, G, Connecticut Sun
Satou Sabally, F, Dallas Wings
Katie Lou Samuelson, F, Indiana Fever

Rose BC

Kahleah Copper, G, Phoenix Mercury
Chelsea Gray, G, Las Vegas Aces
Lexie Hull, G, Indiana Fever
Angel Reese, G, Chicago Sky
Azura Stevens, F/C, Los Angeles Sparks
Brittney Sykes, G, Washington Mystics

Vinyl BC

Aliyah Boston, F/C, Indiana Fever
Rae Burrell, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Jordin Canada, G, Atlanta Dream
Dearica Hamby, G, Los Angeles Sparks
Rhyne Howard, G, Atlanta Dream
Arike Ogunbowale, G, Dallas Wings