Unrivaled League Expands: Two New Teams and a Player Development Group
The 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled, announces the addition of two new teams for the upcoming season: Breeze Basketball Club and Hive Basketball Club. In addition, a player development group will be implemented, marking a significant expansion for the league. This expansion, which arrives ahead of schedule, comes shortly after the league announced a valuation of $340 million. The decision to accelerate growth is due to financial performance and the increase in audience and demand for players. The incorporation of these two clubs will add 12 spots to the Unrivaled rosters, and six more players will be part of the development group, raising the total number of players in the league to 46.Bazzell highlighted Unrivaled’s agility as a unique entity, allowing for faster and more efficient decision-making. The new class of Unrivaled athletes is already headlined by Paige Bueckers, the number one pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, who signed a three-year contract with the league in April. Her first-year salary in Unrivaled’s 10-week season is expected to exceed what she would earn in a four-year rookie contract in the WNBA. Unrivaled has signed 90% of its roster for next season and will begin announcing the list of players at the end of the month. The expectation is that outstanding talents who did not participate in the inaugural season will be added. The player development group will be composed of WNBA players with rookie contracts seeking an additional opportunity for growth and increased earnings. These players will follow a training and practice program, and participate in practice games. They will receive a minimum six-figure salary, the same as active athletes. The league will also expand its facilities for players, including a second practice court, and will increase the stadium capacity from 850 to 1,000 spectators. To accommodate the two new clubs, the league will expand to four nights of play per week, instead of the three from the first season. The new schedule will also eliminate back-to-back games.If we didn’t expand the rosters, there would be All-Stars who would want to join and we wouldn’t have room. We want to be home to the best players in the world.
Alex Bazzell, President of Unrivaled
