Napheesa Collier reveals how her new league shifts player power, offering WNBA stars leverage they never had before in negotiations.
The WNBA CBA seems to be coming back to where it all started, a bold interview from Napheesa Collier. Little did she know back then that the thing would blow up to a level when a strike would sound almost promised.
However, recently, Collier made it clear that players now have more leverage than ever before.
The Minnesota Lynx star, who also serves as a vice president of the WNBPA and co-founded the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled alongside Breanna Stewart, recently spoke about the growing influence of the new offseason competition and what it represents for players.
During an appearance on The Athletic Show, Collier explained that many of the benefits WNBA players are currently fighting for in CBA negotiations already exist within Unrivaled. That reality, she believes, strengthens the players’ position as talks with the league continue.
“Players see here what professional life should look like,” Collier said. “So it’s really hard, once you’ve been given that, to accept less.”
Unrivaled, which launched in 2025, has quickly emerged as a legitimate offseason option for WNBA stars who previously spent months playing overseas to supplement their income.
However, for years, international leagues were the only way for players to earn significant money during the offseason, often forcing them to spend half the year away from home.
Collier noted that playing overseas also creates challenges for athletes trying to build brand partnerships. Sponsors often expect players to appear at events and participate in promotional campaigns, something that becomes difficult when they are competing in another country for extended periods.
“If you’re gone in another country for six months, they aren’t going to sign you because they can’t use you,” Collier explained.
Those realities were a major reason why Collier and Stewart decided to launch Unrivaled. Beyond financial opportunities, the league was also designed to allow players to remain in the United States during the offseason and spend more time with their families.
So far, the experiment has worked. Unrivaled’s second season recently concluded with Stewart’s Mist BC defeating Phantom BC 80–74 in the championship game. The league has also seen rapid financial and fan growth, with revenue reportedly jumping from $27 million to $45 million in its second year.
The league’s expansion beyond Miami also proved successful. A stop in Philadelphia drew more than 21,000 fans, while the semifinal games at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center attracted over 18,000 attendees.
She believes that success sends a strong message to the WNBA during the ongoing negotiations.
“We don’t have to just accept anything you give us,” she said. “If you don’t give us what we’re owed, we have other places we can go.”
With the March 10 CBA deadline approaching, her comments highlight how Unrivaled has changed the power dynamics in women’s professional basketball.