Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women’s pro basketball league, is making its debut Friday. Co-founded by Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, the six-team league runs two months before a March 17 championship game.
The first games are underway from Miami. Follow along for live updates.
Game 1 takeaways: Lunar Owls 84, Mist 80
Unrivaled’s inaugural game delivered — living up to and maybe even surpassing the hype. The fast-paced play might have been tiring for players — who are playing on a condensed full court, not a halfcourt like FIBA 3×3 — but was plenty entertaining for spectators.
It’s so much more difficult to defend as a team in 3-on-3, and this style lends itself to multiple players going on heaters throughout the game. In Game 1, that was Jewell Loyd and Rickea Jackson for the Mist and Allisha Gray, Napheesa Collier and Skylar-Diggins Smith for the Lunar Owls. There were few lulls in action, with the number of free throws cut down and, available for fans watching from home, coaches mic’d up during timeouts.
The league couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the first game, with Diggins-Smith’s big fourth quarter and game-winner helping the Lunar Owls come from behind to win 84-80. I was (and still am)…
