The 2025 season of Unrivaled is the league's inaugural season. Six teams will play a regular season of matches in January to March to contest four places in a single-elimination playoff tournament that determines the champions of the league.
| 2025 Unrivaled season | |
|---|---|
| League | Unrivaled |
| Sport | Basketball (three-on-three) |
| Duration | January 17 – March 17, 2025 |
| Number of games | 48 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| TV partner(s) | TNT Sports and TruTV |
| Streaming partner(s) | Max |
Teams and coaches
editOn October 24, the inaugural six team names were announced.[1] For the 2025 season, teams did not have designated geographic connections, although the branding was created with a consideration for potential future sale and relocation of the teams.[1]
On November 15, 2024, the 2025 head coaches were announced: Phil Handy, Adam Harrington, Nola Henry, DJ Sackmann, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Andrew Wade.[2] On November 20, after the team selection, the head coaches were each assigned to a team.[3]
| Team | Head coach | Assistant coach |
|---|---|---|
| Laces BC | Andrew Wade | TBD |
| Lunar Owls BC | DJ Sackman | TBD |
| Mist BC | Phil Handy | TBD |
| Phantom BC | Adam Harrington | TBD |
| Rose BC | Nola Henry | TBD |
| Vinyl BC | Teresa Weatherspoon | TBD |
Rosters
editFor the inaugural season, Unrivaled was originally announced to consist of 30 professional players with six 5-player teams.[4] Starting in July 2024, the players for the 2025 season began to be announced one-by-one on Unrivaled's social media accounts.[4] Hints were given on social media before roster announcements, encouraging fans to engage and make their guesses on the next Unrivaled roster addition. In late October 2024, the league announced it had "surpassed its initial financial targets" and would be expanding the inaugural season roster to 36 total players and increase the individual team roster size to six players.[5]
On November 20, 2024, players were divvied into their Unrivaled teams with the event being streamed on the league's YouTube channel.[6][7] During the selection process, players were assigned to six pods (six players in each pod).[8] The head coaches then assigned one player from each pod to create balanced rosters for each club. Once all rosters were set, the head coaches were then made aware of which team they would be coaching for the 2025 season.[8] At the time of the selection show, only 34 players had been confirmed to be participating in the 2025 season.[9] The final two players were drafted as wildcards within Pod D and went to Lunar Owls BC and Phantom BC.[10] Teams with a wildcard selection were able to recruit and sign player of their choosing.
In late November 2024, Kelsey Plum announced via social media that she would no longer be playing in the 2025 season and instead would "take some more time for myself this offseason," leaving Laces BC with a wildcard spot.[11] On December 17, 2024, Cameron Brink signed a multiyear deal with the Lunar Owls; however, Brink will not appear in the league until the 2026 season due to injury.[12] And on December 20, 2024, it was announced that Katie Lou Samuelson had signed with Phantom BC.[13] On December 21, 2024, the league's first trades were announced: Laces BC traded Courtney Williams to Lunar Owls BC for Natasha Cloud. Laces BC then traded Cloud and their wildcard pick to Phantom BC in exchange for Jackie Young and Tiffany Hayes.[14] The final wildcard spot, belonging to Phantom BC, was filled by Sabrina Ionescu on December 23, 2024, in a signing deal that "puts her in a category of her own" in the Unrivaled league.[15][16]
| Denotes captain of basketball club[17] | |
| Player (in bold text) | Denotes wildcard selection |
| Player (in italic text) | Denotes will not appear in league in 2025 season |
| Teams | Players | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pod A | Pod B | Pod C | Pod D | Pod E | Pod F | |
| Laces BC | Jackie Young | Tiffany Hayes | Kayla McBride | Kate Martin | Alyssa Thomas | Stefanie Dolson |
| Lunar Owls BC | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Courtney Williams | Allisha Gray | Cameron Brink[12][18] | Napheesa Collier | Shakira Austin |
| Mist BC | Jewell Loyd | Courtney Vandersloot | DiJonai Carrington | Rickea Jackson | Breanna Stewart | Aaliyah Edwards |
| Phantom BC | Sabrina Ionescu[15] | Natasha Cloud | Marina Mabrey | Katie Lou Samuelson[13] | Satou Sabally | Brittney Griner |
| Rose BC | Chelsea Gray | Brittney Sykes | Kahleah Copper | Lexie Hull | Angel Reese | Azurá Stevens |
| Vinyl BC | Arike Ogunbowale | Jordin Canada | Rhyne Howard | Rae Burrell | Aliyah Boston | Dearica Hamby |
Pre-season
editPlayers are to report to training camp on January 2, 2025.[19]
Regular season
editThe regular season will begin on January 17, 2025 with six weeks of round-robin play.[19][20] For the 2025 season, the majority of regular season games will be played in a custom facility at Mediapro Studios in the Miami suburb of Medley, Florida.[21] Regular season games are to occur three nights a week with two games played each night.[22]
All-Star event
editAn All-Star event with a one-on-one (1v1) single elimination tournament mid-season is scheduled for February 10, 2025 with the winner earning a $250,000 paycheck.[23]
Schedule
edit| 2025 Unrivaled regular season | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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January
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February
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March
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| 2025 Unrivaled playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Semifinals
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Finals
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Playoffs and finals
editAt the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams will appear in the playoffs (lasting approximately two weeks) to complete for the championship title.[20] The postseason is slotted to end on March 17, 2025.[19]
Broadcasting
editTNT Sports will air Monday and Friday games on TNT, and Saturday games air on TruTV. The TNT and TruTV broadcasts will be streamed on Max.[24]
References
edit- ^ a b "Unrivaled unveils team names, branding". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (November 15, 2024). "Unrivaled coach list includes Teresa Weatherspoon, Phil Handy". ESPN. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ "Unrivaled rosters 2024: Live draft results, team-by-team picks for new basketball league | Sporting News". Sporting News. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ a b @Unrivaledwbb (July 9, 2024). "STEWIE IS UNRIVALED 👑 1/30 ✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Nelson, Jenn (October 31, 2024). "Unrivaled League Surpasses Financial Projections, Expands Roster To 36". Forbes. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ @Unrivaledwbb (November 12, 2024). "🚨NOVEMBER 20TH🚨 Be ready to choose your FAVORITE BASKETBALL CLUB👑" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Young, Grant (November 18, 2024). "Fans Suspect Unrivaled Sponsorship Could Forecast Caitlin Clark Involvement". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Anderson, Kari (November 15, 2024). "Unrivaled Basketball announces slate of head coaches, headlined by Teresa Weatherspoon and Phil Handy". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ a b McGregor, Gilbert (November 20, 2024). "Unrivaled rosters 2024: Complete draft results, team-by-team picks for new basketball league". The Sporting News. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "We Selected Our Basketball Club Rosters". YouTube. November 20, 2024. Event occurs at 15:40.
- ^ Rasmussen, Karl (November 27, 2024). "Aces' Kelsey Plum Announces She's No Longer Participating in Upstart Unrivaled League". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Zucker, Joseph (December 17, 2024). "Cameron Brink Joins Unrivaled Basketball League; Will Debut in 2026 amid Injury Rehab". The Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Glenesk, Matthew (December 20, 2024). "A third Indiana Fever player signs up to play in Unrivaled, new 3x3 offseason league". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
- ^ Young, Grant (December 21, 2024). "Unrivaled Surprises With Huge Trade Before First Games Take Place". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Fleming, Margaret (December 23, 2024). "Unrivaled Adds Sabrina Ionescu As More Salary Details Emerge". Front Office Sports. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Andrews, Kendra (December 23, 2024). "Unrivaled 3-on-3 league signs Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu to deal". ESPN. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Young, Grant (December 4, 2024). "Unrivaled Announces Captains for Basketball Clubs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ Grausz, Dylan (December 17, 2024). "Los Angeles Sparks' Cameron Brink to join Unrivaled, Former Stanford Teammate". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c Peterson, Chloe (October 31, 2024). "Aliyah Boston to join Unrivaled, becoming second Indiana Fever player in new 3x3 league". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ a b Negley, Cassandra (May 30, 2024). "Unrivaled basketball league set to feature serious salaries and has the backing of some major names". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Unrivaled's Bazzell believes Micky Lawler is the right person to be commissioner". Sports Business Journal. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ @PHEEsespieces (August 9, 2024). "There will be 2 games in a row, 3 nights per week that will be highly accessible..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Leahy, Sean (October 31, 2024). "Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball league expands to 36 roster spots ahead of debut season". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Alex, Weprin (October 16, 2024). "TNT Sports Gets Into Women's Basketball, Inks Rights Deal With Startup League Unrivaled". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2024.