Paige Bueckers Headlines New Additions to Unrivaled
Unrivaled announced the addition of WNBA Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, along with five more signings for the 2026 season. Bueckers, who signed a three-year contract with the women’s 3-on-3 league in April, also became an investor. The number 1 pick of the 2025 WNBA draft earned $78,831 in her rookie season, according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Sources indicated that her first-year salary for Unrivaled’s 10-week season will exceed what she would earn in four years of her WNBA rookie contract. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 36 games, leading her to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year. She accumulated the third-most points (692) and assists (194) by a rookie in WNBA history and also set the rookie single-game scoring record with 44 points. Saniya Rivers and Erica Wheeler were also announced as Unrivaled players for the first time. Additionally, Alyssa Thomas, Rickea Jackson, and Satou Sabally will return for their second season. The player announcements continue on Tuesday, with six players revealed each day of the week until October 1. The rosters will be announced in November, and the season will begin on January 5. With two new clubs, The Hive and The Breeze, and an additional group of developing players, 54 players will participate in the second season of Unrivaled. The league expanded a year earlier than originally planned, after obtaining a valuation of $340 million in early September. The average salaries of the players remain in six figures. Last season, the players earned an estimated average salary of $222,222, and all received shares in the league. In the future, selected athletes who join the league will also receive shares, but this will be on a case-by-case basis as contracts are negotiated.If we didn’t expand the templates, there would be All-Stars who would want to join and for whom we wouldn’t have space. We want to be the home of all the best players in the world.
Alex Bazzell, league president
