Thank the Goddess, super-gay women’s basketball is expanding its footprint in our lives. On January 17, the first game of Unrivaled, the new 3×3 league founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, tipped off in Miami, where all games will take place. The nine-week season will air on TNT and be livestreamed on Max… and a full half of the players are out as Team Sapphic so you don’t want to miss out.
There’s a lot to be excited about, not just in the play but for the players. Unrivaled provides the highest salaries ever paid in women’s sports history as well as equity stake in the league to players and is an option for playing in the WNBA off-season so players can keep earning, keep up with bball skills, not need to give up playing for the WNBA, and not need to go to international leagues. Brittney Griner, who was held in prison in anti-LGBTQ+ Russia when playing there in the WNBA off-season, is one of the Unrivaled players.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” out player Tiffany Hayes, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA, told USA Today. “I mean, I’ve had fun in other places, but this has just been a different type of thing. It just feels a lot more free than other places.”
There are six six-person teams: Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose, and Vinyl. Since they don’t represent geographic loyalties, choose any team to root for (maybe the one with your crush on it). Games take place Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays January 17 through March 17 and are held in a state-of-the-art facility built just for Unrivaled. The first games played to sold out crowds in the 850-seat arena.
The league premiered to rave reviews and we’re excited to follow what’s to come! Follow Unrivaled on Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.
In other good news, look out for the six-team women’s baseball league launching in summer 2026!