As the WNBA’s collective bargaining talks stall three months before the Oct. 31 deadline to get a new deal done, many of its likely future draft picks are helping market Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s pro basketball league entering its second season next winter.

Lauren Betts (UCLA), Azzi Fudd (UConn) and Olivia Miles (TCU)—potentially the top three WNBA draft selections in 2026—are among the 14 college athletes who have signed marketing deals with Unrivaled ahead of its second season. The list also includes USC star JuJu Watkins and Flau’jae Johnson (LSU), both of whom already had equity in the league.

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Unrivaled announced the NIL deals during the WNBA’s 2025 All-Star weekend. The agreements come with no commitments for the signees to play in the startup venture founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

Unrivaled’s monetary value for players is an ongoing point of discussion in the WNBA, because it has become a model for better pay. The 3-on-3 league’s average salary of $220,000 is near the WNBA’s max base salary. Many of the WNBA’s top players participated in Unrivaled’s first season, and it has now tied its name to many of the nation’s best college athletes.

Unrivaled-linked players set to join the WNBA in the coming years could enjoy the fruits of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association’s ongoing labor fight, which includes pushes for higher salaries and a greater share of leaguewide revenues. That is if the union achieves the “transformational” deal it seeks.

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A WNBA work stoppage would be detrimental for the momentum of the league and its players—especially as fan engagement remains near an all-time high. Those involved in Unrivaled at least have some level of personal protection in the event of continued labor unrest, as many of them received equity as part of their deals to join the Miami-based venture.

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, who participated in a well-attended CBA meeting in Indianapolis on Thursday, is among the WNBA players with equity in Unrivaled. The former UConn star will receive a check next year regardless of if the WNBA has a new CBA.

News of Bueckers’ lucrative three-year deal with Unrivaled leaked a day prior to the WNBA Draft in April, and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was forced to address it during her annual draft press conference. The Wings guard’s first-year Unrivaled salary reportedly exceeds what she’ll make in her first four years in the WNBA combined.

The six-team winter league, played across 10 weeks between January and March, has long stated that it was designed to be additive to the WNBA. It strives to be a domestic option for players who want to avoid competing overseas to supplement their income.

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But as WNBA owners invest more into their teams and training facilities, some are asking for prioritization of the W over alt leagues such as Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited. Seattle Storm star Gabby Williams vocalized her frustration on the matter to reporters on Friday afternoon.

“It’s very clear that the league wants to push away all other leagues,” Williams said. “It would make sense if they were paying us more here but it’s not the case even with the new proposals.”

Collier, a vice president on the WNBPA executive committee, recently pushed back on critics who view her role leading CBA negotiations and being a co-founder of Unrivaled as a conflict of interest. The Minnesota Lynx star said Unrivaled only benefits the WNBA as it grows the profile and fandom surrounding its biggest stars.

Unrivaled has infiltrated WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis by setting up its own pop-up activation featuring game day fan experiences, player appearances and merch drops. It’s the latest move for the league to grow its presence beyond its Miami homebase.

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The new crop of college players, including Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) and Madison Booker (Texas), backing the league will only help build that name recognition as the labor fight in the WNBA continues.

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Unrivaled has secured name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals with 14 prominent women’s college basketball players, including JuJu Watkins, Azzi Fudd, and Flau’Jae Johnson. This marks the second year that the league, founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, has partnered with college athletes for NIL opportunities. Watkins, sidelined by an ACL injury, has previously invested in Unrivaled, while the league continues to spotlight women athletes in its initiative aimed at elevating the women’s game.

By the Numbers

• 14 top women’s college basketball players signed NIL deals.
• Players range from sophomores to seniors including stars from USC, LSU, and UConn.

Yes, But

While the initiative has gained traction, the long-term impact of NIL deals on players’ college careers and overall dynamics in women’s college basketball remains uncertain, especially for athletes like Watkins, who are dealing with injuries.

State of Play

• The 3-on-3 league will host a multi-day event for the signed players in Miami.
• Last season’s existing partnerships included prominent players like Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese.

What’s Next

As Unrivaled prepares for its second season starting in January, the league is expected to further develop athletes’ skills and expand its outreach in women’s basketball through additional NIL opportunities.

Bottom Line

This innovative initiative by Unrivaled not only strengthens the visibility of women’s basketball but also sets a precedent for supporting athletes’ growth and financial independence through NIL deals.

If there’s one thing all college football champions have in common, it’s raw talent: height, weight, speed, physical upside, etc. And South Carolina is showing signs of breaking into that tier of elite talent.

More than a decade ago, the “Blue-Chip Ratio” (BCR) was created to measure the percentage of top-tier recruits (four and five star) over a four-year span. Every national champion in the modern era has surpassed the 50% BCR threshold, confirming what Gamecock fans intuitively feel: talent matters.

What is the Blue-Chip Ratio?

• Formula: The program needs to sign more four- and five-star recruits than two- and three-star across their last four recruiting classes.

• Purpose: To determine if a team has the elite recruiting depth needed for a national title run.

• Reality: The BCR is not a gambling tool, and it does not replace coaching, culture, or quarterback play, but it often makes the difference between a team making the playoff and national champion.

Recent BCR Champions:

Year Team BCR
2024 Ohio State 90%
2023 Michigan 54%
2022 Georgia 77%
2021 Georgia 80%
2020 Alabama 83%
2019 LSU 64%
2018 Clemson 61%

Ohio State’s 2025 National Championship title came with a record-high 90% BCR, proving that even in the new era of the NIL, top-level recruiting is the foundation for national success.

What about transfers?

Transfers are not included in the core BCR. The championship pedigree comes solely from high school talent. While additions from the Transfer Portal fill the gaps in rosters, they have not statistically built champions. Integrating transfers drops most BCRs, but it changes very little at the top.

Where South Carolina stands

According to this year’s BCR report, several big programs maintain elite numbers: Alabama (89%), Ohio State (89%), Georgia (84%), Texas A&M (82%), but consider this encouraging mention from the analysts: “If I had to guess, South Carolina and Ole Miss are likely to make the list grow to 20 in 2026, and no other school is remotely close to joining the club.”

In so many words, South Carolina isn’t just becoming a contender, the Gamecocks are knocking on the door of national elite talent in recruiting. If Shane Beamer and the coaching staff can keep landing top-tier talent in their recruiting class, year after year, South Carolina could crack the BCR threshold soon.

Team Collier enjoys a nice lead at halftime of the WNBA All-Star Game, up 22 points on Team Clark. A lot of points are on the board as well with the score sitting at 82-60. Unfortunately, a blowout might be on our hands and turns out, it’s exactly what Kelsey Plum is going for.

ESPN’s Holly Rowe interviewed Plum before heading into the halftime locker room, saying the goal was to win by a large margin. She even jokingly said “We’re a lot better than them,” having some fun with the whole experience.

“I’m just playing hard,” Plum said. “We want to blow them out. We’re a lot better than them, I hate to say it… So, we’re just having fun with it.”

Plum might be working her way toward winning All-Star Game MVP. In just nine minutes played, she has 14 points on six of nine shooting. You can add four rebounds and an assist to the stat sheet as well, all with two quarters remaining in the game.

Team captain Napheesa Collier is leading the way, though. She goes into the break with 20 points and to this point, has only missed one shot from the field. Not much has gone wrong thus far from Indianapolis.

Of course, there is an important piece missing from Team Clark. Caitlin Clark herself was not able to suit up for the game due to an injury. It’s one she suffered on Tuesday night, reaggravating the groin issue she was previously dealing with.

WNBA players fighting for better pay amid CBA discussions

On Oct. 31, the WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement will officially be over. A new deal needs to be reached between the league and the players’ association. It’s turning into a critical time for the WNBA as the league’s popularity continues to explode throughout the sports world.

One of the big issues players will be fighting for is better paychecks from the league. Caitlin Clark, alongside Napheesa Collier, spoke on the topic when speaking to the media ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday. Yes, off-court deals have gotten lucrative for players but higher pay is still wanted.

“WNBA All-Star capts. Napheesa Collier & Caitlin Clark addressing the media right now,” Annie Costabile of FOS said via X. “Both have fielded questions on the CBA. Clark said players are fortunate to have lucrative deals off the court, but they’re fighting for better W paychecks as the league continues to grow.”

The Oklahoma Sooners made a very big hire this offseason when they brought in Jim Nagy as their new general manager. Nagy previously ran the Senior Bowl, but he’s got plenty of experience in NFL circles and was a huge get for OU.