Groundbreaking New Professional Women's Basketball League 'Unrivaled' to Offer Highest Average Salary in Professional Women's Sports League History; Announces Star-Powered Group of Investors

Co-Founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled is Backed by Legendary Athletes and Industry Titans, Including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, Gary Vaynerchuck, Ann Sarnoff, John Skipper, and David Levy

Unrivaled Introduces New Model of Women's Sports Compensation and Ownership to Grow the Game of Women's Basketball

NEW YORK, May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, professional women's basketball league Unrivaled has announced a groundbreaking model of women's sports compensation and ownership, along with the closing of an oversubscribed seed round featuring industry titans and an all-star group of investors, and new details on the league format and operations, ahead of the groundbreaking league's inaugural season in January of 2025. Co-founded by women's basketball stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled is disrupting the domestic women's professional sports landscape with a groundbreaking model centered on investing in its athletes.

A league owned by players, Unrivaled athletes will have equity and a vested interest in its success. The league will also feature historic contract opportunities offering the highest average salary in women's professional sports league history. Featuring 30 of the top women's basketball players across six teams for a 3-on-3, compressed full court style of play, Unrivaled will deliver the most entertaining and competitive form of the sport for fans. Several women's basketball superstars – including reigning WNBA All-Stars – have agreed to terms with Unrivaled to date, with names to be formally announced this summer.

"For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income. With Unrivaled, we're revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay," said Stewart. Collier added, "With the growing popularity of women's basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season. Breanna and I set out to create a league that would change the way women's sports are viewed and ultimately how sports leagues operate. We may have had the vision, but this isn't just our league – it belongs to the players, and the Unrivaled model reflects that."

Through her firm Trybe Ventures, U.S. Soccer co-captain and two-time FIFA World Cup Winner, Alex Morgan has brought together a team of diverse and star-powered investors to fund the launch of Unrivaled. Alongside Morgan, the investor group includes legendary athletes and executives including activist, two-time FIFA World Cup Champion, and Olympic Gold Medalist Megan Rapinoe, two-time NBA MVP and eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash, five-time LPGA Champion Michelle Wie West, and GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers Koby Altman.

Sports media titans – co-founder of Meadowlark Media and former President of ESPN John Skipper, and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) and former Turner President David Levy – have also invested in Unrivaled and will be spearheading league media rights. Additionally, HS&E will work on the league's sponsorship sales efforts.

"The interest and enthusiasm for women's basketball is reaching unprecedented levels, leading brands and media companies to prioritize their involvement in the sport as they recognize its significant upside, growth, and return on investment," said Levy. "Unrivaled presents an exceptional opportunity for both brands and media companies to align with today's top basketball players, and I am thrilled to work alongside John, and the Unrivaled team to introduce this exciting and competitive new league to the marketplace." "It is clear that sports fans are falling in love with women's basketball," added Skipper. "Showcasing the best players in the world in a 3-on-3 format will accelerate the understanding of just how good these players are and how exciting this game is. I am very excited to have an opportunity to see this up close."

Unrivaled's seed round also includes investment from:

• Range Group
• Geno Auriemma: 11x National Champion Head Coach, UCONN
• Ann Sarnoff: Former Chairwoman and CEO of Warner Brothers
• Richard Sarnoff: Chairman of Media of KKR
• Moira Forbes: Executive VP of Forbes Media
• Carmelo Anthony: 3x Olympic Gold Medalist, 10x NBA All-Star and entrepreneur
• Gary Vaynerchuk: CEO & Chairman of VaynerMedia, and 5x New York Times best-selling author
• Ashton Kutcher: Actor, producer, and philanthropist
• Dan Rosensweig: Executive Chairman of Chegg
• Desiree Gruber: Television producer and Founder/ CEO of Full Picture
• Dan Benton: CEO of Andor Capital
• Tyus & Tre Jones: NBA Players

Accelerate Sports served as Unrivaled's investment bank for the capital raise.

This new version of professional basketball will be tailor-made for the everyday basketball fan with its pace, spacing, and star power. "Sports are about competition and I believe what we are building is going to be one of the most competitive and entertaining products on the market because of format and our investment in star power," said Alex Bazzell, President at Unrivaled. "The marketability of women's basketball players is at an all-time high and we view Unrivaled as a platform to help our athletes maximize their moment."

Unrivaled will officially tip off its inaugural season in January 2025. Follow unrivaled.basketball and @UnrivaledBasketball for more news and announcements slated to come ahead of the debut season.