"Bazzell likened the opportunity Unrivaled offers WNBA players to the pre-draft combine, offseason pro-am leagues, and the summer league that NBA players participate in -- all having the ultimate goal of "growing the ecosystem" of their respective sports. The major difference with Unrivaled is that the league pays its players. "But those are formal partnerships," Bazzell said Monday. "You even look at the collaboration that is happening in NBA Europe. That was not a formal partnership before.""
""We're not in constant dialogue about that ... but as I've made very clear, we are open to growing the ecosystem, whichever way that looks like," Bazzell said Monday. "Nothing is on the table or off the table. ... I'm not going to speculate what could happen down the road, but everyone knows our door is always open.""
"Sources told ESPN in October that Unrivaled's co-founders, Minnesota Lynx Star Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, initially offered the WNBA a small equity share in the 3-on-3 league to show alignment. Ultimately however, such a partnership could have violated league rules, and they were turned down, sources said."
Unrivaled enters its second season as a paid 3-on-3 league offering WNBA players a domestic offseason opportunity and development hub. The league is open to future partnerships with the WNBA while maintaining no formal talks at present. Co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart initially offered the WNBA a small equity share to show alignment, but such a partnership could have violated league rules and was declined. Unrivaled is likened to combines, pro-ams, and summer leagues as an ecosystem growth tool, emphasizing innovation and complementarity rather than direct competition.
Read at ESPN.com
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