Has Minnesota Lynx Star Napheesa Collier Solved the WNBA’s Overseas Issues?

Minnesota Lynx, Napheesa Collier
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

While the WNBA and WNBPA negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart are banking on their new 3-on-3 Unrivaled league solving the WNBA’s overseas issues.

The current CBA requires all players to “prioritize” the WNBA over their overseas commitments that pay more. Players can no longer arrive to training camp late without incurring fines. If they arrive after May 1 or the start of the season, whichever is later, they can be suspended without pay for the entire season.

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s solution

Napheesa Collier, the Minnesota Lynx team MVP, and her husband, Alex Bazzell, are trying to solve the problem facing players who need to play overseas to make the bulk of their annual income. No more leaving the country to make more in salary than WNBA players make playing in the WNBA. No more international travel. No more Russian prisons – well, at least for 36 players.

Related: Minnesota Lynx Passed on Angel Reese Because Cheryl Reeve Did Not Want to Coach Her

Unrivaled, Minnesota Lynx
Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

There are 156 WNBA players with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season. Unrivaled serves the top 23 percent of the WNBA, so three-fourths of players still have to travel overseas to make a reasonable annual salary, including some from the Minnesota Lynx.

The Unrivaled league benefits the veterans and players already making a higher WNBA salary than the $220,000 average salary in the Unrivaled league. Players also get an equity share of 0.5 percent, though, and non-players can invest, too. Collier can’t get equity in the Minnesota Lynx while playing in the WNBA, and neither can any other player.

Unrivaled announces $28 million investment round

Unrivaled raised $28 million at the end of 2024, with investors including Michael Phelps, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Dawn Staley. The league announced that it raised more than expected and has $35 million in funding.

USC sophomore JuJu Watkins can’t go pro until 2027, but she’s already an Unrivaled investor. That likely means she’ll play in the league at some point, as will Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson. Clark sat out the inaugural season to rest her body after playing basketball for nearly 12 straight months.

Taking Unrivaled on the road

The plan for Unrivaled is to make its home in Miami but to start traveling to non-WNBA cities and college towns in season two. That business plan is similar to a professional wrestling promotion, or another women’s sports league, the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The PWHL has been filling NHL arenas in non-PWHL cities for two seasons now.

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Speaking of wrestling, Unrivaled’s debut on TNT reached about as many viewers as TNT’s Saturday wrestling show, AEW Collision. The games averaged 313,000 viewers and peaked at 364,000 viewers. That’s a bit less than Ice Cube’s Big3 league debut on FS1. TNT has considerably more viewership, however. It’s the seventh most-watched channel on television.

Taking the show on the road will add to a revenue stream that’s limited by the league’s current venue. The capacity at Unrivaled’s home court is less than 800, with tickets starting at $371. That’s $320,000 in revenue per day – not per game. Packing a college arena with 15,000 fans at $100 per ticket more than quadruples that daily revenue.

Much like a wrestling promotion, the stars involved in the league will dictate viewership, gate revenue, and sustainability. If either Caitlin Clark, who was offered $1 million plus considerable equity, or A’Ja Wilson play in the league’s second season, Unrivaled will demand an extension to its two-year television deal and undoubtedly increase investments in the league.

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