Unrivaled revealed the rosters for its eight clubs on Wednesday night, setting the lineups for a historic third season that tips off Jan. 8, 2027. The announcement reshuffles the league’s biggest names. Reigning champion Mist BC has been broken up and rebuilt, and several of the sport’s rising stars land in new places, but the rosters were clearly constructed with care.
Miles Headlines The Newcomers
Paige Bueckers goes to Breeze BC, where she joins Kahleah Copper, Dominique Malonga, former UCONN teammate Kaitlyn Chen, DiJonai Carrington and Monique Billings. The group pairs Bueckers with a mix of veteran scoring in Copper and young size.
Hive BC has put rookie Olivia Miles together with Sonia Citron, Cameron Brink, Natisha Hiedeman, Rae Burrell and Naz Hillmon. Miles and Citron have been teammates since high school — leading them on a path through college and now to the pros.
Mist Keeps Its Stars But Loses Depth
Mist BC won last season’s title with Breanna Stewart, Arike Ogunbowale, Veronica Burton, Alanna Smith, Li Yueru and Allisha Gray. Only a small part of that group is intact. Stewart, Ogunbowale and a newly minted champion in Burton remain. This year, they’re joined by Bridget Carleton, Kiki Rice and Izzy Harrison. Stewart, a league co-founder, was Finals MVP last season.
The rest of the championship core has scattered. Gray now plays for Vinyl BC alongside Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Jordin Canada, Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow. Li Yueru moves to Phantom BC, and Alanna Smith is one of several former players not returning this season.
Co-founder Napheesa Collier is back after time away to recover from an ankle injury. She lands on a familiar team in Lunar Owls BC with Courtney Williams, Marina Mabrey, Skylar Diggins, Sydney Taylor and Temi Fagbenle. Mabrey led the league in scoring last season, which makes the Lunar Owls one of the most offense-heavy rosters on paper.
Veteran-laden Phantom, Deep Rose And Laces
Phantom BC, last season’s runner-up, fields Kelsey Plum, Kayla McBride, Aaliyah Edwards, Natasha Cloud, Tiffany Hayes and Yueru. However on paper this team may struggle to compete with other high-pace offenses. For power rankings, put Phantom at the bottom, based on first impressions rather than games played.
Rose BC, the first champion of Unrivaled, has Chelsea Gray, Brittney Sykes, Shakira Austin, Aziaha James, Lexie Hull and Kayla Thornton. Laces BC is built around Jackie Young, Gabby Williams, defensive force Jessica Shepard, Marine Johannès, Maddy Siegrist and Satou Sabally.
Notable Absences
Fever forward Aliyah Boston will miss the entire season after offseason knee surgery. Kate Martin has mutually terminated her contract with the league. Rickea Jackson, Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Mitchell, Alanna Smith, Angel Reese and Jewell Lloyd are also not returning.
To guard against the roster shortages that hit earlier seasons, the league has kept a development player pool that started last season. This year’s pool is filled with Ta’Niya Latson, veteran Brittney Griner, Gabriela Jaquez, Raven Johnson, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Kaila Charles. They practice daily and can fill in for injured players, on any than one team.
Format And Money
For those who are new to Unrivaled, each team plays 14 games over eight weeks, facing every other club twice. A midseason 1-on-1 tournament carries its own prize pool. The league says that more than 75 percent of participating players are on multi-year contracts.
The reported minimum salary in year one was $100,000, and some high-profile players are expected to earn more than $350,000. Championship bonuses range from $50,000 to $100,000 per player, and the 1-on-1 winner takes home $200,000 to $250,000.
End Of Rant: Beyond Miami
The league is also growing its geographical footprint. Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell, who is Collier’s husband, has said the league plans to play far more games outside Miami this season. One stop will be Minneapolis, the league’s first games in that market. For Minnesota fans, four players from last year’s Lynx will suit up in Unrivaled this season. They’ll also stop in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other cities
The league’s draft system means rosters change every year. Chemistry, not star power alone, will likely decide which of these eight clubs is still standing when the season ends.
