Coming off a seminal 28th season, the WNBA will hold its annual draft in less than a month on April 14 at The Shed at Hudson Yards in Midtown Manhattan. By various measures, this is an exciting and historic time in women’s professional basketball. The Unrivaled league is another building block in the sport’s evolution.
“We have just collectively made history,” said Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler after the innovative women’s 3×3 basketball league crowned its first champion on Monday. Rose defeated Vinyl, 62–54, led by finals MVP Chelsea Gray, at the custom-built Wayfair Arena in Miami, where all of the league’s games were played. The inaugural season ran from January 17 to this past Monday, March 17 and was composed of six teams, with WNBA stars spread across the rosters. The players were paid an average of more than $200,000 and each member of the Rose received an additional $50, 000 for winning the title.
Notably, no Black female head coach has won a WNBA title (three Black men have led championship teams). Both head coaches in the Unrivaled final, Nola Henry of the Rose and the Vinyl’s Teresa Weatherspoon are Black women.
Related: Columbia women’s basketball continues to make history.
“It’s a team full of relentless dogs that refuse to be denied and a coach that’s super passionate about my players, my preparation and just the opportunity in front of us,” said Henry, a New Jersey native and a 2017 participant in the WBCA’s So You Want to Be a Coach program. “From day one, they counted us out. … What they going to say now?!”
Even in the loss, Weatherspoon, known to New Yorkers as a Liberty legend, expressed gratitude. “They’ve been absolutely outstanding this entire time that we’ve been here,” said Weatherspoon of her players. “I have had an enjoyable time being in their presence every single day. We all were learning from each other and we were all growing together, and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
Prior to the final, postseason honors were announced. Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, who dominated play throughout the season, was named the regular season MVP. She led the league in points, field goals made per game and steals per game. While her Lunar Owls went 13–1 in regular season games, they lost in the semi-finals to Vinyl.
Rose forward Angel Reese was named 2025 Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year, although she missed the playoffs due to injury. Lunar Owls Head Coach DJ Sackmann was named the 2025 Unrivaled Coach of the Year. Collier, Gray and Laces wing Kayla McBride were named the First Team All-Unrivaled. Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, Vinyl wing Rhyne Howard and Reese were on the Second Team All-Unrivaled.
The season concludes with an eye to the future. There are new investors coming on board, including Wanda Sykes and Stephen Curry, joining Carmelo Anthony, Coco Gauff, Dawn Staley, and Geno Auriemma. There are suggestions to add additional locations beyond Miami for 2026, but that will be decided at a later date.
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