Just two years ago, the 2024 NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament made general audiences aware of what some had known for years: women’s basketball is just good basketball. In the years since, the audience for the WNBA has grown tremendously, with the 2025 season breaking the league’s record for single-season attendance and merchandise sales. While the league experienced its meteoric rise, players were fighting with the league for equity, and revolutionizing the off-season on their own terms.
Historically, player contracts in the WNBA have limited training and compensation opportunities to the four-month season. Few teams in the league have their own dedicated practice facility. For the vast majority of the league’s existence, the women of the W spent the offseason playing in overseas leagues, relying on international play for both training and pay that more closely resembled that of a professional athlete.
It’s a system that has caused a multitude of issues for the players, from questions of safety (such as Brittney Griner’s 2022 detention in Russia) to forcing a choice between family (many players are also mothers) and financial stability. In 2024, Unrivaled came to flip the system on its head. Co-founded by two of the best athletes in the game, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the 3-on-3 league dramatically reimagined both the offseason for the women of the W, and player equity in women’s sports.
The average player salary in Unrivaled’s inaugural 2025 season was over $200,000, with players also receiving league equity. Every game of standard play, along with the league’s 1-on-1 tournament, is held in one arena in Miami, enabling players to stay in one location for the duration of pre-season training and play. While the WNBA pushed for years to portray the league in a specific (heteronormative) light, Unrivaled is built upon player authenticity. Much of the women’s basketball fanbase reflects the demographics of the players themselves—melanated, queer, dressed to the nines, and, more than anything, unapologetically themselves. It should come as no surprise that the league was a near-instant success. Stephen Curry invested, fans sold out the entire first season, and players jumped at the opportunity to play on their own terms.
In less than two years, Unrivaled went from an idea to selling out Barclays Center for its semi-finals. For players, it’s a matter of agency and equity: the future of the WNBA is currently in limbo, as the players’ union struggles to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the league in which revenue sharing, salary caps, and training facilities reflect the growth and talent of the league. For fans, it’s a celebration of women investing in themselves.
For all parties though, it’s elite basketball on full display: a fierce competition for a fanbase eager to see each star shine. At the Brooklyn semi-finals, we caught up with fans to hear firsthand what’s made the league such a smashing success.
Mell, 31 & Britt, 35
How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Britt: All my life. Former hooper. Mell: A few years, because I met my partner and she used to play. What do you love about Unrivaled? Britt: It’s a players’ league. It’s full of hoopers who love the game, who are coming together for a common cause. Not just to hoop, but to be paid equally, to understand what women’s basketball means in this moment, and to spread the word because we here to stay. Mell: Also 3×3 is just so much more fun. Favorite team? (Together) The Rose. Favorite player? Britt: Natasha Cloud. She’s a dog. Mell: Chelsea Gray. She’s a boss. Championship prediction? Britt: It might be the Mist. Mell: It’s gonna be the Mist, Breanna Stewart is in her city right now.
Lia, 36
Where are you from? Oakland. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Consistently? A few years. I’m a former collegiate athlete, but my wife got me into women’s basketball. It’s how we bonded. What do you love about Unrivaled? Seeing the players get what they deserve. They seem really happy here. Favorite team? Right now it’s Phantom, Natasha Cloud is my favorite player. Championship prediction? I’d be happy with any of the four teams in the semi-finals. If not the Phantom, I’d love to see the Mist take it.
Gaby, 36
Where are you from? Staten Island, but I live in Queens now. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Essentially my whole life. What first got you interested? My older sister loved the W and got me into it in elementary school, then I started playing, now I coach. What do you love about Unrivaled? So much. The flow of the game is so fast and allows players to shine. I love the socials and how they allow the personalities of the players to shine. It’s curated by women, for women. Favorite team? Phantom. Favorite player? Natasha Cloud. Championship prediction? Ghost Gang all the way.
Stephanie, 39 & Leigh, 38
Where are you from? Stephanie: Originally southern Louisiana, but Brooklyn has been home for a few decades now. Leigh: I’m from Oregon. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Stephanie: A few years. Leigh: My entire life, I played basketball and followed it. A lot of my friends are athletes. What first got you interested? Leigh: Being gay. Stephanie: Supporting women. What do you love about Unrivaled? Stephanie: I like that it’s lead by the players and that it allows them to have more flexibility in their off season. Leigh: I think if we want anything to happen in the world, we should just hire the women of the W to accomplish it. They’re transcendent. Favorite team? Leigh: That’s the interesting thing about Unrivaled: there’s so much love across all the teams and players. It’s really different because it’s not grounded in your home city or state.
Donald, 39
How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Forever. My sister started playing around 7 or 8. What do you love about Unrivaled? You get to be yourself. It’s different, you get to interact with and know more about the team and the women than normal. Favorite team? Phantom! Favorite player? I don’t have a favorite player, but I have a favorite coach! My sister is the coach of the Phantom. Championship prediction? Phantom all the way.
Victoria, 39
How long have you been watching women’s basketball? I’ve been a fan for a long time, became a fanatic in the last three years. What first got you interested? I became a season ticket holder for the Liberty a couple years ago, I really never looked back after that. What do you love about Unrivaled? It just feels more free. I love that it’s supporting womens’ sports, paying them what they deserve, and it’s putting pressure on the W to follow suit. Favorite team? Breeze. Favorite player? I love me some T Cloud. I love Papi. Championship prediction? I’m hoping for an upset, whoever that is. Imma go Breeze.
Kat Files, 33 & Sydnee Paige, 33
How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Kat: Years. Sydnee: Forever. What got you interested? Kat: I used to play and then I started to be a professional dancer, but I still had a love for the sport. Sydnee: I used to play as well. I came from a basketball family, my dad and my brother are coaches. What do you love about Unrivaled? Sydnee: How inclusive it is. Kat: I like the authenticity. It feels very genuine, coming from the heart and the spirit. Favorite player? Kat: Dominique Malonga has been catching my eye recently. She’s just a unicorn to me, I’m locked in. Championship prediction? Sydnee: After tonight, I’m not really sure. This caught me off guard. Kat: Same.
Nani, 29
Where are you from? Long Island. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? I started watching a lot more intensely more recently, but I played basketball my whole life. What do you love about Unrivaled? The community. I love how it brings together women, the gays, the girls. Favorite team? I don’t know who I’m rooting for right now. I want everybody to win. Favorite player? Rhyne Howard, Rae Burrell, Veronica Burton, and Paige Bueckers, of course. Championship prediction? The Mist, or the underdogs, our baby team, the Breeze.
Natalia, 35
Where are you from? Connecticut. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Growing up in Connecticut, I’ve been watching UConn games my entire life. What do you love about Unrivaled? The camaraderie, they have a home base where everyone can learn, grow, and practice together. Favorite player? I love Kelsey Plum, and Paige Bueckers. Championship prediction? I think the Mist could go all the way.
Sandy, 62
Where are you from? Queens. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? I played women’s basketball, and I’ve been watching a long, long time. Maybe 40 years. What do you love about Unrivaled? The players. The game has evolved so much. It’s a fun, fast paced game, and all the personalities are involved. Even though it’s competitive, they’re all still good sports. Favorite player? I’m a New Yorker, so my favorite players are Stewie and Natasha Cloud. I’m elated that both their teams are in the championship. Championship prediction? I can’t call it. Whichever New York team wins, I’m happy.
Ana Angeles, 34 & Irma Garcia, 34
How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Irma: Three or four years. Ana: Forever. I’ve been a Liberty season ticket holder since they came to Barclays. Back in the day, I was a Sacramento Monarchs fan. Where are you from? Irma: Houston, Texas. Ana: The Philippines, and Vallejo, California. What first got you interested? Irma: I met Ana, who is now my fiancée. I knew they were into basketball, so I asked all my friends for basketball facts so I could know something when we went on our first date. Ana: I’m Filipino, so that’s how I got into basketball. I played growing up and I run a queer basketball league here as well, Pride Basketball League. What do you love about Unrivaled? Irma: Supporting the girls. Ana: I love that it’s a league that the players put together. Favorite team? Irma: Phantom. Ana: I like all of them, but the Mist tonight. Favorite player? Irma: Rickea Jackson. Ana: Arike Ogunbuwale. Championship prediction? Ana: Phantom versus Mist. New York Liberty matchup. Irma: Ana’s usually right.
Cecile, 29
Where are you from? Charlotte, North Carolina. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? For as long as I can remember. I played growing up, so it’s in my blood. What do you love about Unrivaled? The competitive nature. Favorite team? Probably the Rose. Favorite player? Chelsea Gray, easily. Championship prediction? Maybe Phantom.
Rysa, 31
Where are you from? Florida, but I’ve been in New York for seven years. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Only two or three years. What got you interested? NC State, when the women (and men) made a final four run in 2024, I got hooked. I didn’t care to watch the men but I got really into watching the women. What do you love about Unrivaled? The players are so centered, celebrated, rewarded, and happy—as they should be. Favorite team? I think what’s so amazing about Unrivaled is you just love the players and the league. Favorite player? Slim. I made her a jersey this season. Championship prediction? Mist.
Shakiela, 34
Where are you from? Southern California, but I live in Brooklyn. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Officially, since the summer of 2021, but I watched a few seasons when the Liberty played at Madison Square Garden. What got you interested? The girls, they’re hot as hell. What do you love about Unrivaled? My favorite and least favorite thing is that there really isn’t team loyalty. You have your favorite players on different teams, so people just come for the love of the game. Favorite player? Right now, Natasha Cloud. I love her energy and she’s not afraid to speak her mind. Championship prediction? Phantom.
Tiara, 36 & Bree, 26
Where are you from? Tiara: Originally Louisville, I live in Houston. Bree: Chicago. How long have you been watching women’s basketball? Tiara: Probably since I was a kid, off and on. Consistently, around four years. Bree: I got into it because of Angel Reese, so since 2024. What do you love about Unrivaled? Bree: Everything! I have a basketball group chat with over 300 people in it called the Scissor Swishers. Tiara: That’s how we all met. You’re welcome to join. Favorite team? Tiara: Definitely the Rose, down. Bree: It switches from season to season, right now Phantom and Mist. Last season it was the Lunar Owls. Favorite player? Tiara: Angel Reese, for sure. Kahleah Copper is up there, and how could I not mention Chelsea Gray? Bree: Napheesa Collier. Championship prediction? Tiara: I want it to be the Mist, but I don’t know, Phantom’s tough. Bree: I think it’ll come down to the wire. I’ll say Phantom.