Sports
How Unrivaled became a welcome alternative for WNBA players’ overseas offseasons
Chelsea Gray has made a habit of competing internationally during her WNBA offseasons. For nearly a decade, the Las Vegas Aces star would pack her bags after the W season concluded and fly to compete for teams in Israel, Spain and Turkey as a way to work on her game, travel the world and supplement her income during the winter.
A few years ago, away from the spotlight while playing in Turkey, she started wondering what was next in her career and her life. She had just turned 30, had won championships and established herself as one of the best in the game. Playing overseas every winter meant months away from some of her family and friends, and a risk that she was missing opportunities to grow her brand.
So when she was approached two years ago by executives creating a new U.S. women’s basketball league, Gray was intrigued, and she became the first non-founding player selected for the league.
“(Unrivaled) changes the game, being able to make money while still being here, being with our family,” she said. “It’s been really, really cool that it’s come to be what it is.”
Co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the new modified full-court 3×3 league has attracted many of the sport’s top players, such as Gray, who have opted against overseas competition this winter in hopes of establishing a new winter home for women’s basketball. The league debuts Friday in Miami, with six teams who boast some of the most notable names in the sport such as Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner.
The First 36 are Unrivaled 👑
Watch them on TNT, TruTV and Max all season long. pic.twitter.com/RNbSFwuXK4
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 16, 2025
For decades, American women’s basketball players have wrestled with career decisions every winter: Stay home to recuperate, work on marketing deals and spend time with family or spend winters abroad in Russia, China, Turkey, Italy, Israel and Spain. Many of the world’s best followed Gray’s routine of overseas play.
Now, with the launch of Unrivaled, more top-tier WNBA players than ever have elected to stay in the U.S. this offseason. Unrivaled’s goal isn’t to stop international leagues from signing top American players, but it’s a trend many involved believe will continue if the league is successful.
Collier, a star for the Minnesota Lynx, and Stewart, an MVP for the New York Liberty, aim to offer comparable domestic offseason competition and compensation to their colleagues.
“I think overseas is still a great option,” Collier said. “We just think it shouldn’t be your only option, so we wanted to give players other things that they could do in their home (country). … We’re not trying to take away any other option that you had before. We’re trying to expand upon that.”
They said that keeping many of the world’s best players in the U.S. during the WNBA offseason will help grow the sport more broadly. While formulating the idea during a discussion about Collier’s year-round basketball experience, she and her husband, Alex Bazzell, who is also the league president, talked about wanting to optimize player experiences. Unrivaled executives describe that aspect as its “North Star.”
“(We were) trying to make women’s basketball continue to be relevant in the offseason from a professional standpoint,” Stewart said, “and be a way where people are able to build their brands.”
Playing internationally significantly supplements the income of WNBA players, whose seasonal salaries range from around $60,000 to nearly $250,000. Overseas contracts can sometimes double that, if not pay even more.
GO DEEPER
Overseas pay for WNBA players may not be as much as you’ve heard. Can the W use this to its advantage?
Unrivaled promises to pay players the highest average salary in American women’s sports league history. Players earn an average salary of more than $200,000 for the 10-week season, and participants in its inaugural campaign also receive equity.
Unrivaled, Collier said, was founded on the principle that WNBA players “deserve compensation and ownership that reflect their value.” They understood player development and high-quality amenities like a sauna, cold tub and weight room were central to piquing players’ interest and support.
“We’re not playing for anybody because we’re all owners of this,” said Unrivaled wing Rhyne Howard, who’s played three seasons for the Atlanta Dream. “The equity in this, that’s something that’s definitely different but also is very helpful in the long run.”
Despite the many benefits of Unrivaled, Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey still wrestled with her options. She had largely positive, career-altering experiences overseas while competing in Latvia, Israel, Australia, Italy and Turkey. She credits her time in Latvia in 2019 for her weight loss, more dedicated work ethic and skills development. She has appreciated the cultural experiences and the work-life balance abroad.
“I learned to love myself,” she said. “I had to love myself again and my whole career changed after that.”
So while some of her peers jumped at the opportunity to play in Unrivaled, Mabrey’s decision was more difficult. She considered playing this offseason in China and Turkey, two countries that have historically compensated top WNBA players well. She weighed another seven-month season abroad against the 10-week Unrivaled calendar. Travel was another consideration: Unrivaled will occur at a single site in Miami, and Mabrey wanted a break from the long flights and bus rides that can come with international competition.
Salary was important, too, but it wasn’t everything to her. She wanted to compete against top competition, have access to the amenities and training resources Unrivaled offered, receive equity in the league and also support Unrivaled as a new venture created by her colleagues.
“Having Unrivaled give that opportunity to play 3×3 and … only be 10 weeks, and obviously the financial part of it is great,” Mabrey said. “It’s about what do I need right now? And this is exactly what I needed.”
For other veteran players, the overseas calendar, which caused them to miss winter holidays, became a breaking point.
“Stay with our families for the holidays but still be able to hoop with some of the best in the world: It was kinda a no-brainer for this point in my career,” said 11-year WNBA veteran Kayla McBride, who had played abroad since her rookie season. She carved out one of the most prolific EuroLeague careers in recent seasons with the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe but will compete for Unrivaled this winter.
Brand-building was another appeal of the new league. Unrivaled has partnered with high-profile companies (Under Armour, Samsung Galaxy, State Farm, Wilson and Sephora), and games will air on TNT and stream on Max. Players recognized the opportunity to form new relationships with some of the sponsors.
“Different brands and partnerships (came) in that are different from the WNBA, and hopefully (they will) continue to expand their reach to other players,” Stewart said.
Plus, by remaining in the U.S., players can still make endorsement appearances and maintain broader relevance. Guard Natasha Cloud said players typically leave and go overseas and it’s “blackout season.” But now?
“I can be here and fulfill marketing deals and compete against other women who are the best in the league,” said Unrivaled big Satou Sabally, who has spent her first five WNBA seasons with the Dallas Wings.
Stewart traveled to Istanbul for a partial season with Fenerbahçe in 2022. (She did not compete last season largely for family reasons.) She said that was likely her last time playing professionally abroad.
“I think that overseas door is kinda closed (for me),” said Stewart, who has played more than a half-decade at top clubs in China, Turkey and Russia. “Especially with the way that we’ve set things up. What we’re doing here is really, really special. I think there’s so many things that I love about it, but the fact that we have the top people here, that was the missing thing when we played overseas.”
GO DEEPER
Can Unrivaled’s 3×3 style benefit WNBA players?
Not all of the WNBA’s best players are in Unrivaled. Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and rookie sensation Caitlin Clark are among the league’s notable absences, opting to take time away from formal competition while also training privately.
International leagues still drew some top WNBA players who likely would have been offered spots on Unrivaled teams. Kamilla Cardoso and Kelsey Mitchell, for instance, are playing in China, while Tina Charles, Ariel Atkins and Natasha Howard are in Turkey. But of last year’s 24 WNBA All-Stars, only three are scheduled to play abroad this winter. (Jonquel Jones said in October she planned to play in China this offseason, but she has yet to debut. Mitchell is in China while Brionna Jones is playing in Prague.)
Considering Unrivaled’s calendar, it’s possible that in future seasons the league’s players could still compete internationally in the fall (or even in the waning weeks of EuroLeague competition at the end of March and into April before WNBA training camps begin). But even if some of the original Unrivaled 36 play abroad again, the number of WNBA stars choosing to do so seems likely to diminish if the league thrives.
Collier had two stints with Fenerbahçe last season, and though she doesn’t officially rule out a return to an international club, she said it would be “really hard” for her to do so for family reasons. (Collier’s daughter turns 3 in May.) Aliyah Boston, who will be in her third season with the Fever this spring, said that as a self-described homebody, she recognized years ago that she wanted to spend her offseason in the U.S., not playing time zones apart from those she’s closest with. Not surprisingly, she is excited for Unrivaled’s present and future — one that she expects to feature a next generation of women’s basketball stars.
“People not only dream of being in the W, but they’re like now I want to be one of the top players to get in Unrivaled (too),” Boston said.
Of course, players have yet to record any Unrivaled statistics, and the first game, let alone the first season, has yet to be completed. Still, those involved are optimistic about how Unrivaled could change offseason routines for the better.
“Five years from now,” Reese said, “this thing is going to be bigger than ever.”
(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: Courtesy of Unrivaled)
Sports
Philip Rivers’ former teammate expresses one concern he has with 44-year-old’s return to Colts
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There is a good chance Philip Rivers sees some action on Sunday when the Indianapolis Colts take on the Seattle Seahawks in a must-win game for the AFC South team.
Rivers, 44, joined the Colts earlier this week as the team deals with a quarterback crisis. The potential Hall of Famer hasn’t played since the 2020 season, but when the Colts needed him the most, he answered the call and dove into a playbook to get game ready.
But what can any NFL fan think Rivers is going to provide for the Colts at 44? He’s changed so much since the 2020 season, as his opponents on the field. The Seahawks also have one of the best defenses in the league.
Shawne Merriman #56 of the San Diego Chargers walks on the sideline in the game against the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 15, 2009 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Shawne Merriman, Rivers’ former teammate, told Fox News Digital that he expected him to play well but was concerned about one thing.
“It’s a tough week for him to get back. But I’ll tell you this, Phil’s upside was never his athleticism. It was always his competitiveness,” he said. “He’s the most competitive player I’ve ever played with, that’s one. And two, it was his preparation and his mental and his knowledge of the game of football. Those two things would always got Philip to be that elite quarterback. It was that. So, it’s not gonna be that much different as far as him moving around the pocket.
“The concern I do have is you can’t replicate football without playing it. So, you can have a coach out there, I’m sure he was throwing the football around with his high school kids. I’m sure that he was working out, but you can’t replicate football. So, I think he’s gonna go out there and look good. I think he’s gonna go out there and actually look like he did five years ago.”
When the rumors started that Rivers was potentially going to come to Indianapolis for a workout, Merriman said he wasn’t surprised.
Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers looks for an open receiver during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
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The former San Diego Chargers star said when he spoke to Rivers during Antonio Gates’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony, it didn’t feel like the quarterback was completely finished with the game.
“I wasn’t shocked. And, this is why – a couple of years ago, I put on Twitter that Phil was still ready to play and this was I think in 2023,” he said. “And everybody’s like, ‘What? Well, yeah, right.’ He’s been gone out of the game I think three years at that point and then literally a week later or two, it pops up that the San Francisco 49ers, their quarterback situation with all their injuries, that they were thinking about bringing in Philip. And I said, I told you.
“I had a conversation with Philip and he didn’t say, ‘Oh, I’m coming back to play,’ but when you talked to him, it sounded like he was ready. It sounded like he was talking about the game in the present moment.”
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Merriman said he got together with Rivers and Drew Brees during Antonio Gates’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony and it didn’t like Rivers was exactly finished with football.
“So, I’m not surprised at all and it’s the right decision by the Indianapolis Colts.”
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Sometimes even Donovan Dent needs to be told he’s Donovan Dent.
“I just keep reminding him of who he is,” Skyy Clark said of his message to his UCLA teammate who has been pushing through a tough opening stretch as a Bruin.
The most highly coveted point guard in the transfer portal, Dent arrived on campus with the pedigree of an All-American honorable mention who was expected to immediately elevate his new team. Among his many talents were strong three-point shooting and an ability to blow by defenders to the rim.
He’s been looking more like that version of himself the last few games after a slow, injury-marred first month, a trajectory the No. 25 Bruins (7-2) will need to continue Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle if they hope to beat No. 8 Gonzaga (9-1).
“He’s been showing a lot of flashes of who he is as a person, as a player, and we’re all rooting for him,” Clark said. “I think it’s only going to get better.”
Having a week between games might help. UCLA coach Mick Cronin said he’s been working with Dent on his shooting form, which curiously has been an issue for someone who made 40.9% of his three-pointers and 78.4% of his free throws last season at New Mexico.
Those numbers have dipped considerably, Dent making just one of 13 three-pointers (7.7%) to go with 62.8% of his free throws. He barely was making half of his free throws before a recent stretch in which he’s converted 10 of 13.
Perhaps the biggest concern has been Dent’s inability to embarrass defenders like he did as a Lobo.
UCLA guard Donovan Dent drives to the basket against Oregon forward Dezdrick Lindsay, left, and center Ege Demir, right, during the Bruins’ 74-63 win on Dec. 6.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“In the Mountain West, he was able to get to the rim in a way that he’s not able to get to the rim at our level, it’s just not going to happen,” Cronin said. “At the high level, it’s really hard. You can’t finish on some of the big guys you could finish on in that league — maybe in the bottom half of the league, you could just take everybody to the rim. First of all, they allow you to bump the dribbler; it’s more physical the higher up you go — it just is. It’s not a knock on it, it’s just the way it is. You know, the Power Four leagues now plus the Big East, the physicality is amazing.
“And in the NBA you can’t blow on a guy, but in college, it’s physical, and that’s what people try to do is beat him up, that’s the game plan. And everybody has the same game plan, like, we know, we talk to people, be physical, beat him up, be as physical as you can with him.”
Cronin said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen over the last two games, in which Dent averaged 15 points and 5.5 assists with 3.0 turnovers while leading the Bruins to victories over Washington and Oregon. He’s also put abdominal and lower-leg injuries behind him.
That’s not to say that Dent can’t boost his game another notch or two.
“He’s got to have more confidence in his three-point shot, his pull-up shot and focusing on his defense on the ball, using his quickness for that,” Cronin said. “So there’s just different ways he can affect the game, which is going to be [key] for him to have a [professional] career anyway. He’s been pushing through it, he’s been working on it, I thought the last couple of games his effort’s been great.”
If Dent needed a template for perseverance amid high expectations as a transfer, he could find it in Clark. After arriving from Louisville, Clark struggled with his shooting and never scored in double figures over his first nine games as a Bruin.
Then came a 15-point breakthrough against Arizona in mid-December and an 11-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist showing two weeks later in a victory over Gonzaga.
“I had a slow start last year when I first came here and then as the season went on it started to get a little [better],” Clark said. “So, I just keep telling him about that and keep sticking with it.”
Money matters
Cronin said UCLA raised more money playing in neutral-site games against Arizona, California and Gonzaga than it would have by participating in the Players Era Festival.
“They raise money for our program to buy players,” Cronin said of neutral-site games with a laugh. “I mean, everybody else can talk about recruiting, you know, write about why kids pick schools — I don’t have time for it. I’m too old, I’ve done enough, it’s comical. We’re semipro, our guys do go to school, [but] guys pick schools because they get paid, so these neutral-site games help raise money. So next spring, when we sign a guy in the portal and you go interview him and he tells you he really bonded with me, and I’ve known him for two weeks,” you’ll know why he signed.
Etc.
Cronin, on the scheduled 8:30 p.m. start time against Gonzaga: “I mean, it’s ridiculous. I mean, why don’t we just play at midnight? … My dad’s real happy about it. He’s 84, he’s gonna have to take two naps on Saturday to be able to watch us play Saturday night.” … Cronin said the Bruins would honor UCLA alumnus Dave Roberts, manager of the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, at a home game this season. … Six years after he uprooted his family from Cincinnati, Cronin said he would be happy to assist new UCLA football coach Bob Chesney with the logistics of moving across the country to Los Angeles: “I don’t know anything about football, but I can help him on where to live and just have his wife call us, we’ll help her.”
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The alleged mistress of former Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore received a massive pay bump between 2024 and 2025.
The individual allegedly linked to Moore, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as an Executive Assistant to the Head Football Coach at the University of Michigan, earned just over $58,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to public payroll information. In the 2025 fiscal year, though, her salary jumped to $99,000, according to a salary disclosure report from the University of Michigan.
Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore leaves the field following the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Nov. 29, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images)
That’s a 70.62 percent increase year-over-year — even higher than the figure circulating social media right now via UMSalary.info.
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As OutKick’s Trey Wallace reported, Moore was fired with cause on Wednesday in his second season as the Wolverines’ head coach. The move came after an investigation surrounding Moore’s alleged “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer.
And it’s hard to imagine the massive salary bump she received didn’t raise some eyebrows within the department.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manual announced on Wednesday. “Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”
Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore reacts from the sideline during a college football game against the USC Trojans at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 21, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
WHO IS SHERRONE MOORE? NATIONAL CHAMPION COACH’S STUNNING DOWNFALL FROM MICHIGAN ENDS IN JAILING
Less than an hour after his termination, police were called to a residence to detain the former coach under possible assault charges. Moore allegedly threatened to harm himself and others before being taken into custody.
As of Thursday afternoon, Moore is being held at Washtenaw County Jail. No charges have been filed yet, but he is expected to appear in court on Friday to be arraigned, according to Pittsfield Township police department.
Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore is shown on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland, on Nov. 22, 2025. (Tommy Gilligan/Imagn Images)
OutKick reached out to the University of Michigan and its athletic department regarding the staffer’s 70 percent pay raise, but they didn’t immediately respond.
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