A New Era for Women’s 3×3 Basketball
Unrivaled, the upstart 3×3 women’s basketball league, announced this week that it has closed a $650 million Series C round, a valuation that pushes its player equity pool to $200 million and cements its status as one of the most heavily funded women’s sports ventures to date.
The financing was led by Ten Pillars Sports Fund, the investment arm of UC Berkeley’s UC Investments, with additional participation from a roster of high‑profile backers that includes fintech entrepreneur Jenny Just, former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, and a reinvestment from Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures, alongside Bessemer Venture Partners and Ashton Kutcher.
Co‑founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, both WNBA standouts, designed the league as a player‑owned entity, concentrating ownership among the athletes themselves and setting a new precedent for collective control in professional women’s sports.
The round also welcomed strategic investors such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Trae Young, tennis icons Billie Jean King and Coco Gauff, as well as media veteran John Skipper and executives Ann and Richard Sarnoff of Warner Brothers Discovery, underscoring the cross‑sport and entertainment appeal of the venture.
CEO Alex Bazzell outlined an ambitious expansion roadmap that moves beyond the league’s current Miami base, planning a series of road‑trip events and hinting at future relocation options to warm‑climate cities for the winter season, while maintaining a schedule that balances home games with travel.
A ten‑player advisory committee now governs key decisions on travel logistics and league growth, ensuring that the voices of the athletes who built the league continue to shape its direction.
Early sell‑out crowds in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, drawing 18,000 and 21,000 fans respectively, have demonstrated strong market demand, suggesting that Unrivaled’s blend of competitive play, player ownership and high‑profile investment could redefine the commercial landscape for women’s basketball.