In the debut game of Unrivaled, the new women’s basketball league started by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Skylar Diggins-Smith nailed a 3-point shot to end the game. That mid-January matchup portended two things about Unrivaled: that her Lunar Owls were going to be the team to beat after that win over the Mist, and that the league was going to be so much fun.
Now, about halfway through Unrivaled’s first season, with the 1-on-1 tournament in the rearview, let’s look at what’s stuck out, who’s played well and where there’s room for improvement.
Best team: The Lunar Owls
The Lunar Owls, who yell “Hootie Hoooo!” as their rallying cry after wins, are the best team, and it’s not even close. Collier, Diggins-Smith, Shakira Austin, Courtney Williams, Allisha Gray and Cameron Brink (though Brink is still recovering from a torn ACL) have absolutely dominated Unrivaled with an undefeated 8-0 record. They lead the league in scoring, averaging 81.4 points per game — a full 12 more points than the number two team, Rose. Even the 1-on-1 tournament was won by a Lunar Owl in Collier.
What makes this team so good? Of course, they have talented players, two of whom are in the top four in scoring in the league (Collier and Gray). But it’s also that they built quick chemistry. Williams and Collier play together for the Minnesota Lynx, but otherwise, this group doesn’t have a ton of experience playing together. Gray is the only player with real experience playing 3-on-3, having won a gold medal with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics (Brink was named to the 2024 team before her injury). They represent a range of ages and experience — Austin, 24, is 10 years younger than Diggins-Smith — colleges and WNBA teams. The secret sauce seems to be that they know how to have fun with each other.
“It’s very easy to play with them. I think we feed off each other well. We know each other’s strengths and play to each other’s weaknesses. It’s fun,” Gray explained on Feb. 3.
The Lunar Owls, coached by DJ Sackmann, have a target on their back, but if they can keep that chemistry going strong, you’ll be hearing “Hootie Hooo!” many more times before the Unrivaled season ends.
Best player: Napheesa Collier
One of Unrivaled’s co-founders has also shown herself to be its best player. Collier leads the league in scoring, averaging a double-double with 29.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, in addition to a league-leading 1.9 steals. Her team is dominating the rest of the league, and she even won the 1-on-1 tournament, taking home the $200,000 prize while also earning $10,000 for each of her teammates.
“We’re trying to really change the culture of women’s basketball,” Collier said of the 1-on-1 tournament, which stood in stark contrast to the NBA’s much-maligned All-Star Game changes this weekend. “You go to the playground or the park and you see guys playing pickup, or they’re playing 1s, you don’t see that with women a lot. And we’re really trying to change that, just what it means to be a female athlete and the culture of just playing in your backyard, playing at the park, playing 1s like we’re doing.”
An honorable mention goes to Breanna Stewart, who is coming off a WNBA championship with the New York Liberty and is still one of the best players in Unrivaled. She is the only other player who has played in all eight of her team’s games and who is averaging a double-double (18.4 points, 11.4 rebounds). Her quick loss to Mist teammate Aaliyah Edwards in the 1-on-1 tournament was shocking, but it doesn’t diminish her play in Unrivaled this season.
Collier’s and Stewart’s Unrivaled dominance comes as no surprise considering the two players’ success in the WNBA. Stewart’s Liberty beat Collier’s Lynx in the WNBA Finals last year, and Collier was named Defensive Player of the Year. She’s a four-time All-Star and was also Rookie of the Year in 2019. Stewart, meanwhile, is a two-time WNBA MVP, six-time All-Star, three-time WNBA champion (two Finals MVPs) and was the 2016 Rookie of the Year.
Biggest surprise: Aaliyah Edwards in the 1-on-1 tournament
Aaliyah Edwards’ WNBA debut in 2024 for the Washington Mystics was just OK. She dealt with injuries, started in 17 games and posted 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Similarly, she’s played well enough in Unrivaled (9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds per game), but not so well that anyone expected her to own the 1-on-1 tournament.
The format ended up showing a really fun and aggressive side of Edwards. She knocked out Stewart in less than two minutes, then beat Gray and four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale on the way to the tournament final. Edwards, who won $50,000 for taking second place, even took one game from Collier in the best-of-three championship. Now that Edwards has shown she has this kind of game, perhaps she’ll find that same level of play when on the court with the Mist and Mystics.
Biggest disappointment: Injuries forcing season changes
It’s basketball, and injuries are inevitable. The Laces have been particularly hard hit, with Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young and Tiffany Hayes missing games. With just six players on a team for the 3-on-3 games, Unrivaled canceled an early February game between the Laces and the Vinyl instead of forcing the Laces to compete with just three players. Similarly, the 1-on-1 tournament was majorly downsized a few days before the first games because of injuries. Unrivaled has brought in relief players, including NaLyssa Smith and Natisha Hiedeman. But when you think about the inevitability of injuries in basketball, perhaps next season the league can sign relief players at the beginning of the season so there won’t have to be game cancellations.
Unrivaled standings
Lunar Owls 8-0
Laces 4-3
Rose 3-4
Vinyl 3-4
Phantom 2-5
Mist 2-6
Unrivaled resumes regular-season play on Tuesday, with the Rose taking on the Vinyl and the Phantom facing the Laces. It will continue its Friday/Saturday/Monday schedule through March 10, before the semifinals on Sunday, March 16 and the finals on Monday, March 17.
