Stewart unveils Unrivaled's origins, revealing a strategic move to empower players and ignite women's basketball growth beyond the WNBA season.
What began as a simple dinner conversation has quickly turned into one of the most disruptive ventures in women’s professional basketball.
WNBA star Breanna Stewart offered new insight this week into the creation and rapid expansion of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league she co-founded with Napheesa Collier, during an interview with The Blast at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year awards in Las Vegas.
Stewart explained that the concept for Unrivaled was born during a dinner in New York City, when the two longtime WNBA stars began discussing the limitations elite players face during the offseason. As year-round professionals and mothers who previously relied on overseas contracts to supplement their careers, Stewart and Collier identified a gap they believed the sport had left unfilled.
Their goal was straightforward but ambitious: create a domestic offseason league that keeps top players in the United States, allows them to invest in their on-court development, and gives them time and infrastructure to build their personal brands.
Speaking to The Blast, Stewart said the idea was initially proposed by Collier’s husband, Alex, and quickly gained traction as the group explored what it would take to make the league a reality.
“We wanted to be able to keep people home and in market and really build their brands and work on their games,” Stewart told the outlet. She added that the lack of time during traditional offseasons often prevents players from doing either.
That vision has materialized quickly. Unrivaled recently tipped off its second season, building on the momentum of a debut year that drew major corporate sponsorships, a significant television presence and a growing global fanbase. Stewart herself opened Season 2 by hitting a game-winning shot for the Mist before heading to Las Vegas the following night to accept a major industry honor.
The league’s growth has been noticeable across multiple fronts. Season 2 features an expanded player pool, additional teams and a limited geographic expansion. While Unrivaled continues to operate primarily out of Miami, the league is taking two games on the road to Philadelphia, testing the appetite for women’s professional basketball in markets without a WNBA franchise.
Stewart told The Blast that league leadership is still evaluating whether future seasons will feature similar “one-stop” road events, but early demand has been encouraging. She noted that the Philadelphia games are expected to sell out, highlighting the appetite for elite women’s basketball beyond traditional markets.
Looking ahead, Stewart emphasized that storytelling has been central to Unrivaled’s success. Unlike traditional offseason gaps where players disappear from the public eye for months, the league provides consistent access to athletes both on and off the court, keeping fans engaged year-round.
That approach has resonated with sponsors as well. Stewart publicly thanked founding partner Ally and corporate supporters including Samsung, Sephora, Vistaprint and Under Armour, crediting them for believing in a concept that had no precedent in the sport.
“It’s hard when you start something that’s never been done before,” Stewart said, acknowledging the role those partners played in stabilizing and legitimizing the league early on.
The broader impact of Unrivaled was formally recognized Tuesday night when Stewart and Collier were named Innovators of the Year by Sports Illustrated. The award was presented by Alexis Ohanian, who praised the pair for reshaping the business and visibility of women’s basketball.
Accepting the honor, Stewart underscored that Unrivaled was never about novelty for its own sake.
“We’re grateful for the athletes who believed in us, the partners who took a chance on us, and the fans who continue to push the game forward,” she said, according to remarks shared during the ceremony. Stewart added that the league was about “building something better,” not simply something new.
As Unrivaled continues to expand its footprint in its second season, Stewart made clear that the league’s early success is only the beginning of a broader effort to reshape opportunities for women athletes during the professional offseason.