Unrivaled, Miami women’s pro basketball league, valued at $340M as season begins
Unrivaled, a professional women’s basketball league, is coming back to South Florida in 2026 in even better financial shape.
Ahead of just its second season, Unrivaled is valued at $340 million. The league earned its profit via ticket sales, merchandise sales and the beginning of its six-year, $100 million TV deal with TNT. By comparison, the WNBA, coming up on its 30th season, is valued at $3.5 billion.
Unrivaled games are 3-on-3 and happen on a made-for-TV court in Medley, an industrial part of Miami. The league had 36 players on six teams in 2025, its first year, and that number has grown to 48 players on eight teams in its second season. The league is collectively owned by the players themselves, rather than individual owners.
The first season featured stars like Angel Reese and the second will feature newcomers like Paige Bueckers. Unrivaled has already received investments of undisclosed amounts from star athletes like Stephen Curry and Serena Williams’ firm Serena Ventures.
“I think Unrivaled is the right thing to do but also the best thing to do from an investor’s standpoint,” said Luke Cooper, Unrivaled president of basketball operations. “You can argue that women’s sports in general in terms of ROI is the best thing you can do. You see the valuation of WNBA teams and value of us in one year [increasing]. It’s not going to stop.”
Interest in women’s basketball has risen in recent years, and the college success of players like Reese and Caitlin Clark has shifted to the WNBA.
The average Unrivaled player earned $220,000 in 2025 for an eight-week season, compared to WNBA players going into training camp in 2025 earning little more than $100,000 for a four-month season. Unrivaled players also earn equity as a portion of the league itself.
One new Unrivaled player is especially excited about the second season. Erica Wheeler, Seattle Storm guard, is a Liberty City native and will get to play in front of her family for the first time in her 11-year career. She has previously played for stateside teams like the Indiana Fever and abroad in countries like Turkey.
“To be able to play in front of my family after never playing in front of my family at all is huge,” she said.
Wheeler said she’s also been thinking about the Miami residents she can impact by playing in Unrivaled’s second season.
“These kids need it and need to be able to see us in the flesh,” she said. “Oftentimes, they see us at camps for an hour or two. I just want to create opportunities for these kids to chase their dreams.”
Unrivaled was founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart with a focus on increasing pay equity for professional women’s basketball players. Many WNBA athletes play overseas during the league’s offseason to earn money to supplement their WNBA salary. Unrivaled alleviates the need for that by allowing players to remain stateside in a competitive league.
Collier has also been critical of the WNBA’s officiating and lack of support for its players.
“We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us,” Collier said in September. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert responded to Collier’s remarks by saying that “even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and this work will not waver.”
Unrivaled games can be seen live beginning on Monday, Jan. 5 at Medley’s Wayfair Arena. The season will end in March. Games can be watched live on TV on TNT or TruTV and streamed live on HBO Max.
This story was originally published January 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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