Whether you’re on Broadway, in the audience at Radio City or marveling at what you just witnessed in Carnegie Hall, New York is the home for encores. But when it comes to one of the Big Apple’s brightest stars, coming back out on the stage doesn’t just mean another big performance. For Breanna Stewart, it means co-creating an entirely new sports league. Indeed, this Friday, “Stewie” – whose New York Liberty team just won the 2024 WNBA title – and 35 more of the biggest names in the sport will kick off the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a new three-on-three basketball league based in Miami and broadcast on TNT.
“It’s incredible,” Stewart tells the Guardian. “When you look at the people who have been in [the WNBA] like seven, eight, nine-plus years, they’re used to going overseas during the W offseason. We haven’t been home. We haven’t been marketable. We haven’t really been around. Now, the season opener is … on TNT and there is no bigger platform than that.”
Along with Stewart, the new league boasts many other big names, including Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese and Jewell Loyd (others have said they’ve chosen rest instead of joining this year.) The league is comprised of six teams with six players each, and games will feature three-on-three competition on a 60ft full court. There will also be halfcourt one-on-one games, affectionately dubbed by some as “Queen of the Court.” But what Unrivaled offers most for its players, each of whom have also been given equity in the league, is a way to make money and showcase their skills in the United States.
“Just to take advantage of that,” says Stewart, “I think that’s only going to continue to grow our game and make sure that we’re being seen from many different places.”
For the 30-year-old Stewart, now is a time to rejoice. “I’m doing good,” she says. “I’m really happy with the way that the W season ended. Obviously, it can’t be better than winning. I’m excited to be here and have Unrivaled get off the ground. All the players are definitely excited – the practices and the games have been really intense.”
Unlike a WNBA season or one abroad in a place like China or Russia, Unrivaled brings all of its player in one spot (without the need for risky travel). That gives the chance for all 36 players to compete against one another whenever they wish. In media sessions last week, many of the players used the phrase “iron sharpens iron,” meaning the competition is especially great. That’s what they’re most excited for as the league revs up. Players also said there was a “void” during the WNBA’s offseason that this new league fills. “It will keep us way sharper,” noted Griner.
And while Stewart is a co-founder of the league, a celebrity and a multi-time WNBA champion, she is focused on keeping the main thing the main thing. “I’m looking forward to just playing,” she says. “Competing. Learning whatever I can from [coach] Phil [Handy]. The fact that we’re playing full court three-on-three – it’s going to be different. The games are going to be exciting. But just being here – honestly, this is something that has never happened before and it’s going to be special.”
Games from the intimate 850-person arena in Miami will also air Mondays and Fridays on Max during the season. And while some might think Unrivaled is meant to take some shine away from the WNBA, Stewart and the other players believe the two can, and will, “support” one another. Players in Unrivaled are getting the highest average salary – said to be around $250,000 – in women’s team sports history. And the league, Stewart has said, has funding for at least the next three years. The list of celebrity sponsors include Coco Gauff, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Phelps and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But what was it like to co-create Unrivaled while also playing in the WNBA and winning a title at the same time?
“There was definitely some challenges, playing and trying to be a part of the Zoom meetings,” Stewart says. “But the team here at Unrivaled is top-notch. And to make sure when Phee or I can’t get on the call, they continue to brief us on what happened and what’s to come. They also gave us that space [we needed] during the W playoffs. There’s not much more intense than that and we were able to focus on where we were.”
Stewart, who spent the first seven years of her pro career in Seattle, was helped by some great guard play with the Storm. Several of those Pacific Northwest seasons featured the All-Star scorer, Jewell Loyd. Now, Loyd and Stewart are on the same team in Unrivaled. The two have also been Olympic teammates. For Stewart, the reunion is welcome. “It’s been great in practice with Jewell,” Stewart says. “I’m definitely looking to sharing the court with her. Just competing and really having fun. We had a great time when we were in Seattle together. I can’t wait to rekindle that here.”
A two-time MVP, six-time All-Star, a three-time WNBA champion and a four-time NCAA champion, Stewart has won just about everything she can in the game – everything now except an Unrivaled championship. “To win Unrivaled would be the best,” she says. “Just because it’s the inaugural season. There’s never another first. And it would kind of be, what, the triple crown? [An Olympic gold medal, a WNBA title and an Unrivaled title.]”
While Stewart has garnered a great deal from basketball in her life to date, she now says she is giving back in a way that is significant.
“I think the growth of the game has impacted me by creating more opportunities,” Stewart says. “And you could say that I’ve had a lot already. But there’s a want and a desire to empower and partner with a women’s basketball player and it’s continuing to grow now. Just the way we’re able to make an impact in our community, with our fans and even now in a non-WNBA market like Miami. People know us. People recognize us and appreciate us for what we do.”
