Tag: Unrivaled

Why Caitlin Clark likely won’t play in Unrivaled basketball league

Unrivaled can want Caitlin Clark all it wants, but it might not get her.

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled league is reportedly making a push to land Caitlin Clark, one of the WNBA’s biggest stars.

Since news of the league began to skyrocket months ago, it’s managed to land some pretty impressive talent as it continues building its reportedly 30-person roster. Paige Bueckers of UConn already signed a deal to join in 2026 and will have ownership equity in the league. Angel Reese is also on board to suit up. But things don’t stop there.

Unrivaled recently landed a monster media rights deal with TNT Sports that will give it 45 primetime matchups starting in January 2025. With a new deal, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports revealed that Unrivaled will reportedly make a “full-court press” to land Caitlin Clark. Here is what Napheesa Collier recently said on Fan Duel’s Run It Back about Caitlin:

“The growth that Caitlin has brought to the game. The sheer amount of money that she’s making these teams…Definitely, we want to be part of that change…I think she should be one of the top players in the world just for the sheer numbers that she’s bringing…”

Technically, Unrivaled has yet to fill its 30-athlete roster, leaving room for additional WNBA players to join, but I do not expect Caitlin Clark to be on that list. Why? She needs rest.

Caitlin has not had an entire offseason to do what she wants — rest, play golf or otherwise. Joining Unrivaled drastically cuts into her time to recuperate from what has at least been a nearly 12-month-plus grind. Since easily September of last year, she has been going almost non-stop and hasn’t had longer than a few weeks just to be Caitlin.

The reported offer is nice, but fans shouldn’t get excited about seeing Caitlin play basketball anytime soon.

TNT’s media deal with Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled league is a win for the WNBA

Unrivaled’s new TNT deal is a HUGE win for the WNBA and women’s basketball.

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled basketball league finally has a new home. TNT Sports has agreed to broadcast games in primetime, which feels like a massive win for such a young organization.

Much has been made of Unrivaled, including how well it could be the premier destination for the WNBA’s top talent to play during the offseason. But, with Stewie and Phee giving the world a taste of the level of competition the league will presumably bring in the WNBA Finals, it’s not shocking that TNT Sports jumped in to support.

Unrivaled’s new multi-year media rights partnership includes exclusive live game coverage on TNT and truTV — along with all games being streamed on Max — starting January 17, 2025. That means fans will see 30 of the WNBA’s best, including Angel Reese, during 45 matchups spread across TNT on Mondays and Fridays and truTV on Saturdays.

Why is this a huge deal? It legitimizes the league and helps women’s basketball grow.

Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, recently reiterated that notion, saying, “Our media and equity partnership with Unrivaled deepens our commitment to further expanding the depth of top-tier women’s sports programming we offer our fans and presents an opportunity for us to shape and amplify the continued growth of women’s basketball.”

WNBA players on TNT is also a tremendous win for the W because it creates additional exposure for its athletes and silences many critics who aren’t convinced of the level of elite talent that exists beyond the names that generate clicks and views.

This is a fantastic move by TNT, Stewie, Phee, and Unrivaled’s introduction into the sports world. It nailed a critical step early, and we need more of this level of investment.

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Paige Bueckers has a sweet new NIL deal with Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled basketball league

Paige Bueckers is now Unrivaled. See what we did there?

UConn guard Paige Bueckers has a dope new NIL deal with Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled basketball league.

Paige has been having one heck of an offseason. She attended the WNBA Draft to support her former teammates, has been to multiple WNBA games and even made an appearance during WNBA All-Star weekend. In other words, her WNBA ties are already DEEP. So, it’s not entirely shocking that Paige has a fantastic new NIL deal with a new basketball league, Unrivaled, created by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Bueckers is expected to join the league after her first WNBA season. (Assuming she declares for the WNBA Draft in 2025 and is drafted, she won’t suit up for Unrivaled until 2026.) Her new deal also makes her the first college athlete to receive ownership equity in a league.

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