Fourteen of the top women’s NCAA basketball players have signed NIL deals with Unrivaled, the professional 3×3 league announced Saturday, July 19, ahead of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. The list of players includes Lauren and Sienna Betts, Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, Audi Crooks, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, as well as MiLaysia Fulwiley, Flau’Jae Johnson, Ta’niya Latson, Kiki Rice, Syla Swords, and JuJu Watkins.

The move is a major one for Unrivaled, which will enter its second season in January 2026. The new players will also participate in a multi-day summit called The Future is Unrivaled between July 31 and August 2.

The relationship between the two leagues has been a hot topic for months, and conversation has reached a bit of a fever pitch during the league’s All-Star events. While speaking to reporters Thursday, Unrivaled’s president Alex Bazzell said that a lot of the speculation has come as a surprise.

“It’s funny we’ve laughed about it because we’ve never once looked at this as a competitive tool towards the WNBA,” he said. Bazzell also emphasized that there are “so many positives” from both leagues existing, and added, “I’m hopeful that they come to a CBA agreement, and play resumes next April, and for us, we’re not going to change anything we do based on what happens in those conversations, so the conflict of interest has never really made sense internally.”

WNBA GMs aren’t as sure about Unrivaled

Despite those positive feelings, not everyone seems to agree. In May, one WNBA GM speaking anonymously to CNN put blame for an increase in preseason injuries squarely on the new league. “They were surprised by the intensity, duration and amount of practices,” one person told ESPN — and writer Kendra Andrews noted that “multiple” GMs admitted too many injuries “could hurt our league” if it means players aren’t available during the WNBA season.

There have also been questions about whether the existence of Unrivaled presents a conflict of interest. The league was founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, of the Lynx and Liberty respectively.

“I just see ourselves as such an additive to the space that it’s always confused us why people would think that it’s a conflict of interest,” Bazzell also said Thursday night. In reference to Collier (who is also his wife), and Stewart, Bazzell added, “If anything, there’s no one who’s more equipped to sit at that table than Napheesa or than Breanna because they’ve been through all the negotiations of media rights and sponsorships.”

That this topic hasn’t been raised before is likely due to the fact that Collier and Stewart are well known for their long-time advocacy for women’s basketball, equity in the WNBA, and the pursuit of greatness for as many women as possible. The idea that either could operate in bad faith is difficult to even begin to debate, let alone give any degree of seriousness.

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt will be donating 100% of revenue from his merchandise sales to his teammates for the 2025 season.

Leavitt has a new line of merchandise through the NIL store. Items include shirts, hoodies and jerseys and can be purchased online.

Giving back to his teammates is nothing new for the sophomore quarterback. In January, Leavitt was able to secure Arby’s NIL deals for eight ASU offensive linemen.

Last season, Leavitt donated all of his royalties from merchandise sales back to the ASU NIL collective. He was named a preseason All-American and Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ahead of the 2025 season.

Leavitt is coming off a 2024 season where he threw for 2,885 yards for 24 touchdowns while adding 443 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns. Leavitt was a key player in ASU’s 11-3 campaign that saw the Sun Devils win the Big 12 Championship and reach the Peach Bowl as part of the 2024 College Football Playoff.

For his efforts, Leavitt was named Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and was a member of the 2024 All-Big 12 Football Second Team.

Follow @Leasure96

During WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Unrivaled – the 3v3 women’s basketball league – announced a major NIL activation. The up-and-coming women’s basketball league signed 14 star college athletes to NIL deals.

UConn star Azzi Fudd headlines the group, which also includes LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and USC’s JuJu Watkins – both of whom previously signed NIL deals with Unrivaled, along with former UConn sensation Paige Bueckers. Bueckers and Johnson secured equity stakes in the league as part of their deals while Watkins was part of the $28 million investment round.

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, UCLA forward Lauren Betts, TCU guard Olivia Miles and LSU guard MiLaysia Fulwiley are also on board. Betts’ sister Sienna, Texas forward Madison Booker, Iowa State center Audi Crooks, South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson, UCLA guard Kiki Rice, UConn forward Sarah Srong and Michigan guard Syla Swords round out the group.

“Investing in elite women’s basketball talent is central to Unrivaled’s mission,” said Unrivaled President of Basketball Operations Luke Cooper in a statement. “This transformational, first-of-its-kind initiative brings together the best of the best and reflects our deep commitment to elevating the women’s game and holistically supporting athletes.”

Unrivaled had its debut season last year after WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier co-founded the league. It includes six teams that compete in a 3-on-3 format, and the league is planning to add two expansion teams in 2027, as well.

Unrivaled continues star-studded NIL initiatives

Through its latest NIL activation, Unrivaled continues to invest in the rising stars in women’s basketball. Flau’jae Johnson and JuJu Watkins are widely considered two of the top names in college women’s hoops, and Azzi Fudd is a rising star after playing a crucial role in UConn’s national championship this past season.

Johnson boasts the highest On3 NIL Valuation in college women’s basketball at $1.5 million, which puts her atop the women’s college basketball NIL rankings. Watkins sits right behind her at No. 2 with a $739,000 On3 NIL Valuation and Fudd ranks No. 6 at $218,000.

Unrivaled also forged a partnership with Paige Bueckers last year before the Dallas Wings selected her No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft. She’s preparing for her first All-Star Game amid an impressive rookie season and signed a three-year deal with Unrivaled in April.

All 14 players who signed NIL deals with Unrivaled will participate in a summit July 31-Aug. 2. Called The Future is Unrivaled, it will include basketball development sessions and the players will also participate in content for the league.

Terrelle Pryor’s bid to rewrite college football’s past just hit a legal wall.

The former Ohio State quarterback’s lawsuit seeking back pay for name, image, and likeness (NIL) earnings has been dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled Friday that the case falls outside the statute of limitations. Filed in October 2023, Pryor’s complaint argued he should’ve been compensated during his time at Ohio State from 2008 to 2010 long before NIL rights were legalized for student-athletes.

Advertisement

But the court didn’t agree.

“Mr. Pryor failed to assert his claims for injunctive relief within the four-year statutory period,” the judge wrote, adding that allowing the case to move forward would be “unreasonable and prejudicial to defendants.”

That ruling effectively ends Pryor’s chances of reclaiming compensation from the NCAA, Ohio State, or the Big Ten and deals another blow to former college stars hoping to capitalize and get back pay for the new NIL deals that current college players have.

Pryor isn’t the only ex-college athlete testing the system. Over the past year, several lawsuits have surfaced, all challenging the NCAA and schools for profiting off their likenesses before NIL rules changed in 2021.

Advertisement

Reggie Bush sued USC, the Pac-12, and the NCAA in September 2024.

• Former Michigan players filed a similar suit against the NCAA and Big Ten Network.

• Mario Chalmers and 15 other former athletes had their class-action lawsuit dismissed in August 2024.

• NC State’s legendary 1983 team kicked off the legal wave with their June 2024 case.

What do all of these lawsuits have in common? So far, they’ve all been dismissed.

The reason: these plaintiffs don’t qualify for the NCAA v. House settlement, which covers athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024 — and includes $2.8 billion in back payments. Pryor, Bush, Chalmers, and others played well before that window, which means their legal strategy rests on trying to overturn expired antitrust claims. Judges haven’t been convinced or reversed any rulings.

Pryor’s case was more than just a legal play — it was also symbolic. Once one of the most electrifying athletes in college football, he led Ohio State to two Big Ten titles and was at the center of a scandal that, under today’s NIL rules, wouldn’t even be a violation.

Advertisement

In 2011, Pryor and several teammates were punished for receiving tattoos and other perks in exchange for memorabilia as it was a case that sparked national headlines and controversy and led to vacated wins. Pryor left school early and spent seven seasons in the NFL, transitioning from quarterback to wide receiver.

In 2021, with the NIL era officially underway, Pryor and his former teammates asked the NCAA to restore their records, hoping the governing body would acknowledge how much the system had changed for the better.  Now, his effort to secure compensation through the courts has fallen short.

This ruling in Pryor’s case is significant. Like the Chalmers dismissal, it reinforces the NCAA’s legal firewall, its sovereign immunity and the four-year statute of limitations.

For athletes who played before 2016, the courtroom door appears nearly and almost completely  shut. Even as modern players begin receiving compensation and back pay through the House settlement, those who came before are left with little legal ground to stand on.

Advertisement

Even still, the wave of lawsuits shows no signs of slowing down.  As former athletes are still watching closely, and as long as NIL continues to reshape the college sports economy, the fight for retroactive justice isn’t just going to go away even if their wins are very far and few.

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — JuJu Watkins, Flau’Jae Johnson and Azzi Fudd are three of 14 top women’s college basketball players that Unrivaled is signing to NIL deals, the league announced Saturday.

It’s the second consecutive year that the 3-on-3 league that was founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart has had name, image and likeness deals with college players. In it’s inaugural season, Unrivaled had deals with Paige Bueckers and Johnson.

Watkins, who plays for Southern California but is sidelined with an ACL injury, has also previously been involved with Unrivaled as an investor in its Series A funding round.

Johnson, who is at LSU, and Fudd, at UConn, both were on hand for the announcement, as were Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and UConn’s Sarah Strong.

“Unrivaled is doing something amazing for women sports. It’s a big reason why we’re all here today,” Johnson said at Unrivaled’s pop-up headquarters in Indianapolis. “They’re doing it in the W and really giving us a chance in college to really go at it.”

Other players signed include TCU’s Olivia Miles, UCLA’s Kiki Rice and Lauren and Sienna Betts, Texas’ Madison Booker, Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, LSU’s MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina Ta’Niya Latson and Michigan’s Syla Swords. The players range from sophomores to seniors.

“Just seeing from the first year what (the league) was able to build, you know it’s only going to get better,” Fudd said. “I’m super excited.”

Women’s basketball players have been able to take advantage of NIL opportunities over the last few years with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Bueckers and Johnson at the forefront of it. Reese played in Unrivaled in its first season.

As part of the initiative, the class will be attending a multi-day event at the league’s headquarters in Miami, which will include skill development and content shoots.

“Our job is to try to bridge the gap between the current stars that are in Unrivaled and the future stars sitting on the stage right now,” Luke Cooper, Unrivaled’s president of basketball operations, said at the announcement. “Everyone that we asked to be a part of this said yes.”

Unrivaled completed its inaugural season this past March, and is gearing up for its second this coming January.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball