Near the end of 2022, New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart took a meeting at a New York City steakhouse to hear an idea to change the landscape of professional women’s basketball.
Stewart was preparing to spend part of another WNBA offseason abroad. Alex Bazzell, the husband of Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, had seen his wife play multiple seasons overseas, too. He pitched Stewart on a business proposition to keep most WNBA stars in the U.S. during the winter months instead.
Over red wine, Stewart was immediately interested in the concept of Unrivaled, a professional women’s 3×3 league that would promise the highest salaries in American women’s team sports. She eventually agreed to co-found the league along with Collier.
“It’s crazy to think about that meeting to where we are now,” Stewart said as Unrivaled approaches the end of its initial 10-week season.
Four of the league’s six teams play in the semifinals on Sunday. The championship game is on Monday. Stewart, whose Mist Basketball Club has already been eliminated, said Unrivaled could elevate players’ experiences across all professional women’s basketball.
The WNBA is coming off a season of record viewership. Last year was the most-watched regular season in 24 years and Game 5 of the WNBA Finals was…
