The Unrivaled women’s three-versus-three basketball league will tip off on January 17 at 4:00P.M. Several prominent WNBA players will be competing in the 10-week league; five of whom played for the Los Angeles Sparks last season.
Among the six basketball clubs in Unrivaled, four have at least one Sparks player on their roster.
Vinyl BC
This basketball club houses both forward Dearica Hamby and guard Rae Burell. Hamby helped Team USA women’s 3×3 win bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics, scoring 37 points in nine games. Hamby mentioned how spending time with other Unrivaled players is similar to the WNBA Wubble in 2020.
“It’s just giving the vibes, everybody just around. We get to spend time with the other girls. We’re all hanging out in the training room, sharing stories,” Hamby said. “Unrivaled is doing a great job of picking that up, the chemistry seeing from everybody.”
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In her third season with the Sparks, Burrell had 5.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Her stats have been improving since her rookie season. Burrell was invited to the 2024 Basketball 3×3 Women’s National Team Development Camp in November.
Lunar Owls BC
Sparks center Cameron Brink is still recovering from her torn ACL and will not be competing in Unrivaled. However, she has been enjoying watching her teammates (one being league co-founder Napheesa Collier) get acclimated to the format of the league.
“They’re so cohesive already and it’s been day three,” Brink said. “If you can play basketball, you’re able to play this game.”
Brink averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during her rookie season.
Rose BC
Like Burrell, Azurà Stevens was invited to the National Team Development Camp. With Rose BC, Stevens reunites with her Chicago Sky teammate Kahleah Copper and Team USA teammate Lexie Hull.
“Getting to play with [Stevens] again is really fun,” Hull said. “She’s, I think, a player that’s built for three-on-three. She can play every position, she can spread the floor and shoot.”
Stevens averaged 9.6 points and 7.0 rebounds last season with the Sparks. Her Unrivaled teammate Angel Reese noted how Stevens can stretch the floor.
“Me coming from a forward position, being able to see how versatile she is, I was looking forward to playing with her,” Reese said. “She’s long, our team is really long and played good defense.”
Mist BC
Forward Rickea Jackson teams up with league co-founder Breanna Stewart and Dijonai Carrington with Mist BC. Jackson enjoys the versatility of the team
“We all play multiple positions. Everybody can bring the ball up the court,” Jackson said. “You got to respect all of us. I’m pretty excited to see how well we continue to mesh.”
