More Than A League: Breanna Stewart Shares How Unrivaled Is Changing The Offseason And The Game

WNBA star Breanna Stewart pulled back the curtain on the origins and rapid rise of Unrivaled, the innovative 3-on-3 women’s basketball league she co-founded with Napheesa Collier, during an exclusive chat with The Blast.

What began as a casual dinner conversation in New York City quickly evolved into a bold vision: create a league that allows elite players to stay stateside, build their brands, and finally have time to work on their games during the offseason. As mothers and year-round professionals who once relied on overseas play during the WNBA off season, Stewart and Collier set out to fill a long-standing gap in women’s basketball, and it didn’t take long for them to succeed at just that and more.

During an exclusive chat with The Blast at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Stewart shared a little about the vision behind Unrivaled, how it all came to be, and where she sees the league going in the coming years.

Season 2 Of Unrivaled Just Started

Unrivaled just began its second season earlier this week. In fact, Stewart, who plays for the Mist, hit the game winning shot on Monday, day one of season 2. And then on Tuesday, it was off to Las Vegas to receive the Sports Illustrated Innovators of the Year award.

Stewart, a three-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA MVP, and Olympic gold medalist, partnered with Napheesa Collier, a five-time All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, to start the professional basketball league that took off like wildfire. It was quickly noticed by many including big named sponsors, top-tier players, and fans from all over the world.

The impact from the new league is hard to ignore as they enter season 2 with more sponsors, more players, and of course, more fans.

Breanna Stewart Shares How Unrivaled Came To Be

When asked how it all began, Stewart said, "The idea came about at a dinner."

"We went to Del Frisco's in New York City one night and it was actually [Napheesa's] husband Alex who proposed the idea to me and from there, we were like, how do we make this happen," she told The Blast exclusively at the red carpet event at XS Nightclub inside Wynn Las Vegas. "Phee and I are both moms, we're both players that played overseas, but we wanted to be able to keep people home and in market and really build their brands and work on their games."

She further explained that players don't often have the ability to build their brands and work on their games because there's "no time" and that's something they wanted to build for the players.

Unrivaled Started Strong And Continues To Grow

 

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Season 2 added more players, more teams, and a new location on the schedule. While the league plays solely in Miami, they are taking the show on the road for two games in Philly.

When asked if future seasons will also see games in a different location than their home court in Miami, Stewart said they are "continuing to figure out if we're gonna do one-stop shops."

"I'm a little sad because my team isn't going to Philly, but I know that the turnout's going to be insane," she said. "We're expecting a full sell out at Xfinity Arena and just the want and desire from the fans, especially in the markets that don't have W teams is really cool to see."

Thinking ahead, Stewart said they plan to take the league to a place they've never been before.

"Obviously, it's a 3-on-3 league and we're having the best players, we're marketing and getting content on the court and off the court all the time and that's the biggest part is the storytelling," she shared. "Sometimes when it's the off season, you can't find players for x amount of months and now you can see them every single day and what they're doing - the fun stuff and the not so fun stuff, but people are able to be in the know."

Breanna Stewart Is Grateful For Everyone Who Believed In Their Vision

Not only has the original vision Stewart and Collier been a driving force in the league but so have all the sponsors and partners who believed in their mission and wanted to help Unrivaled succeed long term.

"Shout out to Ally our founding partner. We have some big ones - Samsung, Sephora, Vistaprint, Under Armor, so many more," she said. "And we really appreciate them all for supporting us and honestly believing in us because it’s hard when you start something that’s never been done before and they’ve been there for us since the start and continue to be behind us.”

Breanna Stewart And Napheesa Collier Were Named Innovators Of The Year By Sports Illustrated

At the Sports Illustrated 2025 Sportsperson of the Year awards in Las Vegas on Tuesday evening, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and Serena Williams' husband, presented the Innovators of the Year award to Stewart.

"Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, they saw this opportunity and stepped up and changed their game. They changed the sport of basketball," he said. "Their 3-on-3 league has been a massive success. A huge TV deal, powerhouse corporate sponsorships, incredible social presence, and world class content creation."

After sharing some more about what Stewart and Collier have been able to accomplish with Unrivaled, Stewart joined Ohanian on stage to accept the award.

"Thank you so much to Sports Illustrated, this is truly and honor," Stewie said. "I'm incredibly proud to be able to accept this award together with my partner, Napheesa Collier, even though she couldn't be here tonight, Unrivaled simply doesn't exist without her vision, leadership, and willingness to challenge what's already been done."

For more information on Unrivaled, visit the website and IG page.