13 February 20-26, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | Culture | Cafe | MusiC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | Snowbirds The Unrivaled basketball league lures WNBA stars to winter in South Florida. BY ISABEL MAZA T hirty-six of the biggest stars in the WNBA are bringing their talents to South Florida through March. The Unrivaled women’s profes- sional basketball league kicked off its inaugural season last month, with all games played in Medley’s Wayfair Arena. “Miami made perfect sense for our inaugu- ral season,” says chief brand officer Kirby Por- ter. “We’ve gotten an enormous amount of support from everyone involved in making our vision for this historic league come to life.” Founded by stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled provides players with a domestic league option for the offsea- son. Previously, athletes have had to travel overseas to play and earn supplemental in- come during the winter months. With Unrivaled, players receive equity in the league and the highest average salaries in professional women’s sports. The league’s av- erage salary is estimated at around $222,222 — almost double that of the WNBA. Unri- valed has already secured more than $35 mil- lion in funding, with big names like Carmelo Anthony, Michael Phelps, Alex Morgan, and South Florida’s own Coco Gauff coming on as investors. “We’ve created something truly special here,” says Porter. “We hope to showcase what it means to invest in athletes and give them the resources and spotlight they deserve.” The league consists of 36 players split into six teams: The Laces, Mist, Lunar Owls, Rose, Phantom, and Vinyl. Players include Olympi- ans, all-stars, and a former WNBA MVP (Stewart). Household names like Sabrina Io- nescu, Aliyah Boston, Angel Reese, and Brittney Griner are playing in the inaugural season. Coaches come from both the WNBA and NBA, including Naismith Memorial Bas- ketball Hall of Fame and former Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. Games are played in a three-on-three for- mat on a condensed court. The league says it wants to mimic “playground style,” fast- paced basketball. There are three seven-min- ute quarters followed by a final quarter called “winning score,” which is deter- mined by adding 11 to the score of the team that leads go- ing into the fourth quarter. The first team to reach that number wins. For example, if the score is 40 to 50 going into the last quarter, the first team to reach 61 wins. Organizers say this format keeps up the pace of the game and eliminates late-game fouls and breaks. The “first to a certain number” approach also eliminates the need for overtime. The league partnered with Mediapro, a production company, to build out the league’s space inside Wayfair Arena, just a few miles from Miami International Airport. Besides the custom court, it also features training rooms, content creation spaces, and an on- site childcare center. The venue also hosts onsite pregame events featuring food trucks, activations, and photo opportunities in the Fan Fest zone, and there are exclusive spaces and experiences for VIPs. Sprite, Miller Lite, and Samsung Galaxy are Unrivaled’s official sponsors, while Wilson is its official game ball manu- facturer. Other brand partnerships are forth- coming. “Icy Hot and Unrivaled are going to work together on a court renovation this year,” adds Porter. The league has chosen venues in seven cit- ies to host official watch parties for all the sea- son’s games. In Miami, Wynwood favorite Grails was tapped with the honor. The sports bar is also the official watch party spot for Fort Lauderdale United FC, and an official sponsor of local women’s basketball league Ballers Lab. “This is a groundbreaking league and we’re thrilled to be able to provide a space where fans can gather and enjoy the games together,” says Grails manager William Smith. “We’ve always been proud to support sports for all genders.” Unrivaled games are held Mondays, Fri- days, and Saturdays, with two consecutive games each night. Playoffs are scheduled for Sunday, March 16, with the championship game taking place the next day. [email protected] ▼ Culture Household names like Sabrina Ionescu, Aliyah Boston, Angel Reese, and Brittney Griner are playing in Unrivaled’s inaugural season. Unrivaled photo “WE HOPE TO SHOWCASE WHAT IT MEANS TO INVEST IN ATHLETES AND GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES AND SPOTLIGHT THEY DESERVE.”
