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Unrivaled Gives Top College Stars NIL Deals on WNBA's Big Weekend
As the WNBA's collective bargaining talks stall three months before the Oct. 31 deadline to get a new deal done, many of its likely future draft picks are helping market Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women's pro basketball league entering its second season next winter.
Lauren Betts (UCLA), Azzi Fudd (UConn) and Olivia Miles (TCU)—potentially the top three WNBA draft selections in 2026—are among the 14 college athletes who have signed marketing deals with Unrivaled ahead of its second season. The list also includes USC star JuJu Watkins and Flau'jae Johnson (LSU), both of whom already had equity in the league.
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Unrivaled announced the NIL deals during the WNBA's 2025 All-Star weekend. The agreements come with no commitments for the signees to play in the startup venture founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
Unrivaled's monetary value for players is an ongoing point of discussion in the WNBA, because it has become a model for better pay. The 3-on-3 league's average salary of $220,000 is near the WNBA's max base salary. Many of the WNBA's top players participated in Unrivaled's first season, and it has now tied its name to many of the nation's best college athletes.
Unrivaled-linked players set to join the WNBA in the coming years could enjoy the fruits of the Women's National Basketball Players Association's ongoing labor fight, which includes pushes for higher salaries and a greater share of leaguewide revenues. That is if the union achieves the 'transformational' deal it seeks.
A WNBA work stoppage would be detrimental for the momentum of the league and its players—especially as fan engagement remains near an all-time high. Those involved in Unrivaled at least have some level of personal protection in the event of continued labor unrest, as many of them received equity as part of their deals to join the Miami-based venture.
Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, who participated in a well-attended CBA meeting in Indianapolis on Thursday, is among the WNBA players with equity in Unrivaled. The former UConn star will receive a check next year regardless of if the WNBA has a new CBA.
News of Bueckers' lucrative three-year deal with Unrivaled leaked a day prior to the WNBA Draft in April, and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was forced to address it during her annual draft press conference. The Wings guard's first-year Unrivaled salary reportedly exceeds what she'll make in her first four years in the WNBA combined.
The six-team winter league, played across 10 weeks between January and March, has long stated that it was designed to be additive to the WNBA. It strives to be a domestic option for players who want to avoid competing overseas to supplement their income.
But as WNBA owners invest more into their teams and training facilities, some are asking for prioritization of the W over alt leagues such as Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited. Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams vocalized her frustration on the matter to reporters on Friday afternoon.
'It's very clear that the league wants to push away all other leagues,' Williams said. 'It would make sense if they were paying us more here but it's not the case even with the new proposals.'
Collier, a vice president on the WNBPA executive committee, recently pushed back on critics who view her role leading CBA negotiations and being a co-founder of Unrivaled as a conflict of interest. The Minnesota Lynx star said Unrivaled only benefits the WNBA as it grows the profile and fandom surrounding its biggest stars.
Unrivaled has infiltrated WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis by setting up its own pop-up activation featuring game day fan experiences, player appearances and merch drops. It's the latest move for the league to grow its presence beyond its Miami homebase.
The new crop of college players, including Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) and Madison Booker (Texas), backing the league will only help build that name recognition as the labor fight in the WNBA continues.
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