Many WNBA stars play overseas during the offseason to make extra money, but now New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier are starting a new league to give them an option to play domestically, per ESPN.
The official twitter account for the new league, Unrivaled, teased the announcement on Thursday.
“What if the best players in the world created their own league…” read the first post.
“They did,” read the second tweet.
They are aiming to start the new league once the WNBA’s new prioritization rules go into full effect next season.
The rule this year required WNBA players to return from overseas by the start of the season on May 19. Failing to be back by that date would have resulted in becoming ineligible to play in 2023. Seattle Storm’s Gabby Williams almost didn’t get back by the deadline while she played in France because the French league playoffs end after the start of the WNBA season. However, she made it back to the United States earlier than she expected because of a concussion.
Williams told reporters on Wednesday that the prioritization rule was “ridiculous” because it was difficult to play in the WNBA and try to make extra money overseas.
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