Unrivaled Will Pay Players Even More In 2026 After Hugely Successful First Season

There’s still more than two months left in the WNBA season, but Unrivaled — the upstart 3-on-3 women’s basketball league — is already locking in talent for 2026.

Alex Bazzell, co-founder of the league and husband of Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, told Front Office Sports that nearly 90% of Unrivaled’s player pool for next season has already been signed. That includes six new players the league plans to add to a developmental pool, expanding the total talent from 36 to 42.

RELATED: Unrivaled Sends Message To WNBA: Big Money, NIL Deals & A New Model For Women’s Hoops

"We have a few spots left open to fill, and then we’re pretty much ready to go," Bazzell said Saturday from Miami, where the league hosted 14 college stars for its The Future is Unrivaled summit.

Upstart 3-on-3 league Unrivaled generated $27 million in revenue in its inaugural season.

(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Image)

While it’s unclear who all the newcomers will be, Paige Bueckers — the 2025 No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick — is expected to join this year. She will reportedly earn more than $350,000 in her first season. Notable WNBA stars who didn’t play in Unrivaled’s first season include Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum. 

Bigger Paychecks Are On The Way For Unrivaled Players

Bazzell confirmed that Unrivaled will raise salaries in 2026. Last season, the league paid an average salary of $220,000, with no player making less than six figures. For comparison, the average WNBA salary is under $150,000, and the minimum is about $66,000.

"The numbers are going up because the business outperformed every metric that we had," Bazzell said. "It’s part of our business model that we built from the ground up, which is that as the business continues to drive more revenue, the revenue is going to get funneled back into the players."

Bazzell didn’t disclose how much the average will increase, but noted that salaries will rise despite the league adding six more players.

Unrivaled Continues To Put Pressure On WNBA During CBA Negotiations

Unrivaled, co-founded by Collier and fellow New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, has positioned itself as a high-paying alternative to playing overseas. Its eight-week season finishes before WNBA training camps open, allowing players to participate in both.

The league generated a whopping $27 million in revenue in its first year, bolstered by a media rights deal with TNT and sponsorships from big brands like Ally Financial, Samsung Galaxy, Sephora and Miller Lite.

Unrivaled will raise player salaries in 2026.

(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Unrivaled’s success comes as the WNBA and its players’ union remain locked in contentious CBA negotiations. Players are demanding higher salaries and a more dynamic revenue-sharing model, while the league’s opening proposal has been called "unsustainable" by the union.

READ: 'Pay Us What You Owe Us': WNBA Players & Commissioner Paint Two Very Different Pictures Of CBA Talks

Unrivaled has proven that women's basketball can make money. The league's business model (and substantial growth) will keep the pressure on the WNBA to deliver a more competitive compensation package to meet the players' demands.

So with the current CBA expiring at the end of October, one thing is for sure: the timing of the announcement of Unrivaled's salary bump is no accident.