Unrivaled, the women’s three-on-three basketball league created by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart in 2023, just made its biggest move yet. On Tuesday, the league announced a major Series B funding round that boosted its valuation to $340 million—nearly ten times what it was worth a year ago—and unveiled plans for two expansion teams.
The new franchises, Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club, will debut in January 2026 when Unrivaled tips off its second season. Alongside expansion, the league is also creating a developmental player pool of six athletes currently on WNBA rookie contracts. Last season, Unrivaled had to scramble for injury replacements, and this move ensures that ready-to-go players will already be in place.
The two new teams and the developmental pool will open up 18 additional roster spots, addressing one of the biggest challenges in women’s pro basketball: limited space for elite talent. League president Alex Bazzell told ESPN, “If we didn’t expand rosters, there were going to be All-Stars [wanting to join] who we didn’t have space for. We want to be the home for all of the best players in the world.”
Unrivaled’s expansion also comes with new facility upgrades and the introduction of off-site games after all matchups were played at a single location in its inaugural 2025 season.
The financial side is just as groundbreaking. Last year, the average salary in Unrivaled was nearly $225,000, higher than the WNBA’s max salary of about $215,000 and close to its supermax at roughly $250,000. Players also receive equity in the league, with developmental pool athletes earning the same as those on active rosters.
The league has deep South Carolina ties. Dawn Staley was an early investor, while former Gamecocks Allisha Gray and Aliyah Boston played in season one. Current Gamecock star Ta’Niya Latson has already signed an NIL deal with the league and is expected to join in 2027.
Meanwhile, Unrivaled continues to pursue A’ja Wilson, openly hoping to bring the WNBA superstar into the fold before next season.
The second season of Unrivaled is set to begin in January 2026, with more teams, more players, and bigger ambitions than ever bef
