Gabby Williams: Unrivaled 'Saved The WNBA's Butt' By Keeping Players In The U.S.
The Seattle Storm veteran says Unrivaled solved one of the WNBA’s biggest problems — and might be showing players a better way forward.
Unrivaled may be a competitor to the WNBA, but Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams thinks the upstart 3-on-3 league is actually doing the W a big favor.
During an appearance on the Good Game podcast with Sarah Spain on Monday, Williams credited Unrivaled with helping solve one of the league’s most pressing problems: players missing training camp due to overseas commitments.
"I think Unrivaled saved the WNBA’s butt this year because a lot of players made it on time to training camp," Williams said. "Which is ironic that the W doesn’t like Unrivaled because the W wouldn’t have had a lot of players without Unrivaled because of prioritization."
Gabby Williams said women's basketball players have to compete in multiple leagues to supplement their income, even though they don't want to.
(Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)
She’s referring to the WNBA’s prioritization rule — a controversial policy that penalizes players with two or more years of experience if they don’t report to training camp on time. For players who compete internationally during the offseason, that has made things tricky, as their seasons sometimes don't wrap up before May 1.
Williams, herself, has been directly impacted by the dilemma of juggling both the WNBA and overseas play. She competes for the French national team and missed most of last season to represent France in the Olympics. In 2021, the Chicago Sky suspended Williams without pay for missing the season while she was in France.
And her frustration has only grown louder.
"We don’t want to play multiple seasons, that’s the whole point. But unfortunately, the income in the W just isn’t appealing enough for us to only play in the W," she said. "The [WNBA] needs to pay us more. That’s obviously why they don’t want us in these leagues."
That’s where Unrivaled comes in.
Unrivaled Is Putting Pressure On The WNBA, Too.
The 3-on-3 league, which was co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier and began in 2025, offers WNBA players a way to stay stateside in the offseason — and get paid well for it. Each of Unrivaled’s 36 players earned a six-figure salary for an eight-week season, with an average salary of $222,222. That's higher than the WNBA’s 2025 max salary of $214,466.
No flights to Turkey. No jetlag. And they're done in time to report to WNBA training camp.
MORE: Unrivaled Sends Message To WNBA: Big Money, NIL Deals & A New Model For Women’s Hoops
Of course, the problem for the WNBA is that Unrivaled has also been highly successful. The league generated more than $27 million in revenue in its inaugural season, according to a league source, and could turn a profit as early as next year. The money is largely from a media deal with TNT and a laundry list of high-profile corporate sponsors, including Ally Financial, Samsung Galaxy, Sephora and Miller Lite.
Co-founder Napheesa Collier wants Unrivaled to exist alongside the WNBA.
(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Image)
And the league is rapidly growing. Unrivaled just signed 14 top NCAA players — including USC superstar JuJu Watkins — to NIL deals, ensuring a future pipeline of talent and increasing its long-term relevance in the women’s basketball world. The league also signed No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers to a three-year deal that will pay her a whopping $350,000 in her first season. That's more than her entire four-year rookie WNBA contract combined.
Meanwhile, the WNBA is in the thick of collective bargaining negotiations with its players' association. Over All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, more than 40 players met face-to-face with league leadership to demand higher salaries and a more dynamic revenue-sharing model.
Players say the WNBA’s opening offer fell far short of what they’re asking. And with the current CBA set to expire in October, tensions are rising.
MORE: WNBA Players Are Asking For More Money — Here's Why It’s Not As Crazy As You Think
Williams, for one, is paying close attention and weighing her options. The All-Star said she'd consider leaving the W if she got a better offer to play somewhere else.
Whether the players begin choosing Unrivaled over the W (or whether the two leagues can peacefully coexist) remains to be seen. But if the WNBA wants to keep its talent stateside year-round — and prevent other leagues from filling the gaps — it might be wise to see Unrivaled not as a threat, but as a warning.