Unrivaled League Expands: New Teams and a Player Development Fund
The Unrivaled 3×3 basketball league announces the addition of two new teams, Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club, for the upcoming season. In addition, a player development fund will be implemented, marking a milestone in its growth. This announcement comes shortly after the league was valued at $340 million, an expansion that is anticipated a year earlier than planned. Initially, Unrivaled planned to maintain six teams in its second year, but due to financial and audience results that exceeded expectations, it was decided to accelerate the expansion process. The addition of these two clubs will add 12 places in the squads, to which six more players will be added for the development fund, raising the total number of players in the league to 53.Bazzell highlighted the league’s efficiency in being a single entity, which allows for quick decision-making. Unrivaled’s new generation of athletes already includes the outstanding Paige Bueckers, chosen first in the 2025 WNBA draft, who signed a three-year contract with the league in April. Bueckers’ first-year salary at Unrivaled is expected to exceed what she would earn in a four-year rookie contract in the WNBA. According to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Bueckers earns $78,831 in her first year in the WNBA. Unrivaled has signed 90% of its roster for next season and will begin announcing its players at the end of the month. The expectation is focused on whether outstanding talents who did not participate in the inaugural season, such as Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, and Kelsey Plum, will join. The player development fund will be composed of WNBA players on their rookie contracts seeking growth opportunities and higher earnings. These players will receive a minimum six-figure salary and participate in training, practices, and scrimmages. The creation of this fund responds to the need to cover absences due to injury during the inaugural season. The league will also expand its facilities for players, including a second training court and 150 additional seats in the stadium, increasing the capacity from 850 to 1,000 spectators. To accommodate the new clubs, the league will increase to four game nights per week, eliminating back-to-back games.“We want to be home to the best players in the world”.
Alex Bazzell, President of Unrivaled
