Latest news with #UnrivaledBasketball
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sky star Angel Reese credits this MVP hopeful for improving her game
The post Sky star Angel Reese credits this MVP hopeful for improving her game appeared first on ClutchPoints. It's been an up and down season thus far for the Chicago Sky, who currently sit at 7-13 ahead of Monday evening's matchup against the Minnesota Lynx. Despite this, Angel Reese has been playing the best basketball of her young WNBA career over the last couple of weeks, becoming a force on both sides of the ball and improving her efficiency in the process. Advertisement Recently, Reese spoke on Lynx star and WNBA MVP hopeful Napheesa Collier, whom she will match up against on Monday night after they previously played on Saturday, and how she has helped her to improve her game. 'She is one of the best. I love playing one of the best players. She worked with me all offseason — her and Alex worked with me all offseason on my game. And kudos to them, because they helped me a lot… staying poised, staying patient. That's why I trust in my work,' said Reese, per Winsidr on X, formerly Twitter. Reese also spoke on Collier's Unrivaled Basketball league, which she founded along with fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart, as being a big help in her offseason improvement. A resurgent season for Angel Reese Two aspects of the game that were never a question for Angel Reese were her defense and rebounding, both of which made her a star during her college days with the LSU Tigers. Advertisement Still, concerns about her efficiency and perceived lack of outside shooting ability at times caused some fans to wonder what her ceiling in the WNBA truly would be. However, over the last few weeks, Reese has put those concerns to bed, consistently putting up mammoth statlines on solid efficiency and even showing some willingness to let the ball fly from the perimeter. All the while, her defense and rebounding prowess have remained as stellar as ever, helping her turn into one of the most imposing players in the league, and earning a WNBA All-Star nod in the process. The Sky have just two more games before the All-Star break, which will include All-Star game on Saturday, July 19. Related: TCU's Olivia Miles supports Sky courtside after winning AmeriCup championship Related: Angel Reese shouts out Kamilla Cardoso after Sky upset 1st-place Lynx
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paige Bueckers salary: Paige Bueckers contract details for WNBA, Unrivaled in 2025
Paige Buckers is the newest star in women's basketball after being selected by the Dallas Wings with the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Similar to Caitlin Clark last year, Bueckers' rookie deal means she will be one of the lowest-paid WNBA players right now. However, Bueckers does have other opportunities to make up for her below-market-value salary. Thanks to the creation of Unrivaled Basketball, the 3-on-3 women's basketball league, along with marketing opportunities, Bueckers can still be one of the highest earners among her peers. Advertisement Related: Best WNBA players right now Let's dive into the contract details for Bueckers in the WNBA and Unrivaled. Paige Bueckers contract details: Unrivaled, WNBA salary Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Here are the contract details for Bueckers this season and long-term in both the WNBA and Unrivaled women's basketball leagues. Contract terms are from Spotrac and Related: WNBA power rankings League 2025 Salary 2026 Salary 2027 Salary WNBA $78,831 $80,408 $88,449 Unrivaled $350,000+ TBA TBA The Dallas Wings will have a 2028 club option for Bueckers worth $100,510 for her fourth season in the WNBA. If that fourth-year option is picked up, she will earn $348,198 in total cash. In the first three years of her WNBA contract, without the option exercised, Bueckers will earn $247,688 in total salary. She is eligible for WNBA free agency in 2029 as a restricted free agent. Advertisement According to Spotrac, Bueckers ranks 98th among all WNBA players in salary for the 2025 season. She will make more than Clark did in her rookie season ($76,535) and in the second ($80,408 vs $78,066) and third seasons ($88,449 vs $85,873) of their respective rookie contracts. This is because of the rising salary cap. Read More: WNBA games today, WNBA schedule 2025 Paige Bueckers salary FAQ How much will Paige Bueckers make in the WNBA? Paige Bueckers will make $78,831 in her base salary for her rookie season in 2025. Throughout her four-year rookie contract, she is eligible to make $348,198 from 2025 through 2028. In three years, she can make $247,688 if her fourth-year team option for the 2028 season isn't picked up. Does Paige Bueckers make more than Caitlin Clark? Yes, Paige Bueckers makes more than Caitlin Clark in the WNBA. Because of the new WNBA TV rights deal signed in 2024, worth $2.2 billion over 11 years, the league's revenue increased from the 2024 season to the 2025 season. As a result, the salaries for rookies entering the league in 2025 increased. Advertisement Paige Bueckers contract: $78,831 salary in 2025 Caitlin Clark contract: $78,066 in 2025 ($76,535 in her rookie season) Related: Indiana Fever attendance, see the Caitlin Clark effect from last season How much does Paige Bueckers make a year? Paige Bueckers makes just over $420,000 a year between her salaries in the WNBA and the Unrivaled 3-on-3 women's basketball league. For context, Bueckers made $350,000 from Unrivaled in 2025, but she is earning just a $78,831 salary as a rookie in the WNBA this season. How much does Paige Bueckers make per game? Across the 2025 WNBA season, Paige Bueckers will make approximately $1,791.61 per game during her rookie campaign. This amount doesn't include the state taxes taken out of her salary for playing in different states across the United States. How much is Paige Buckers making in Unrivaled? Paige Bueckers reportedly made over $350,000 in her first season playing in Unrivaled, which is more than she'll make in her first four seasons in the WNBA.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stephen Curry's Unrivaled investment is spectacularly on-brand
Stephen Curry is Unrivaled. (See what I did there?) That's right. The four-time NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist has invested in the new 3x3 women's basketball league. Curry joins a long list of investors, including JuJu Watkins, Michael Phelps, Alex Morgan, Carmelo Anthony, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Coco Gauff, and Dawn Staley.'I am incredibly proud to be joining the Unrivaled family as the league continues to set a new standard for how women's professional sports should operate — empowering athletes and ensuring they have a real stake in their own success,' Curry said. 'Unrivaled is not just innovating the way we play basketball, but also how we value and invest in the athletes who drive the game forward.' Nailed it, Steph. PAY THESE WOMEN. INVEST IN THESE WOMEN. But he already knows that. It's why he encouraged Cameron Brink to join and has a long history of supporting women. This move is 100 percent on-brand. We love to see it. Another champion added to the Unrivaled Investor family! Steph Curry is Unrivaled 👑 — Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 11, 2025 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Unrivaled Basketball (@unrivaledbasketball) This article originally appeared on For The Win: Stephen Curry's Unrivaled investment is spectacularly on-brand
New York Times
10-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Unrivaled's one-on-one tournament guide: How to watch, which WNBA stars are playing
Over the last week, Unrivaled players have been staying after practice for extra skill development. The reason? The league's one-on-one tournament kicks off Monday so players have been getting in additional isolation work. The bracket for the league's midseason tournament was unveiled early last week for the single-elimination format until a best-of-three final. Seven players were ruled out on Sunday evening due to lingering injuries, but excitement among the 23 competing players is brewing to see who reigns supreme, and trash-talk among players is high. Advertisement 'I think it's going to be an incredible show,' league president Alex Bazzell said. 'All the players who are playing are ecstatic for a chance to win the cash prize. It's gonna be awesome for the culture, too.' Unrivaled's pitch to players and prospective investors always included the concept of a one-on-one tournament when they were developing the new professional 3×3 full-court women's basketball league which launched last month. League founders aimed to satisfy one of the most common questions fans pose: Who would win in a game of one-on-one? 'It's something for the culture of basketball that the higher levels never do when it comes to All-Star Games,' said Luke Cooper, Unrivaled's president of basketball operations. 'It's always the one competition everyone is asking for, and we felt like we had an opportunity to do that in a unique way.' Like other aspects of Unrivaled, player buy-in was critical to the tournament's development. 'The players are willing to put their name on the line and see who the winner would be, which I think is unique for this level of talent to put themselves out there,' Cooper said. On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, the tournament begins with an eight-game first round. Here's everything you need to know about the event. Almost all of Unrivaled's inaugural season participants are playing in the one-on-one tournament. To create the bracket, 30 players were split into four pods with at least one player per team sorted into each pod. The pods were made to distribute talent and positions as well as to create compelling matchups. Fans, media, players and coaches then submitted seeding recommendations to help create matchups in a traditional No. 1 versus No. 8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 seeding format. The two top seeds in pods A and D received first-round byes. Due to lingering injuries and to prioritize player wellbeing for regular-season games, Unrivaled will be combining the two 1st Round sessions for the 1 on 1 Tournament Presented by Sprite into one session. The 1st Round will be played from 7-9 p.m. ET at Wayfair Arena, airing on… — Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 9, 2025 While the first round was planned to include 14 games, Unrivaled announced several updates to the bracket with players ruled inactive due to injuries and 'to prioritize player wellbeing' for the second half of the season. Bazzell said the league became aware earlier this week that it might have to make changes to the bracket. As Unrivaled weighed how to proceed, it wanted to maintain the integrity of the bracket and not shift matchups around. Advertisement 'We wanted to give (players) every opportunity to compete,' Bazzell said. 'And inevitably it came down to the decision of it's just not worth it at this stage if you're not really healthy.' As a result, seven players will receive byes into the second round. Previously, only Arike Ogunbowale and Jewell Loyd were slated for byes. Only two first-round matchups in Unrivaled's one-on-one tournament feature multi-time WNBA All-Stars. Aliyah Boston faces Kahleah Copper, and Skylar Diggins-Smith plays Dearica Hamby. The latter is a must-watch head-to-head, featuring two of the most skilled players in the draw. Hamby is third in scoring during Unrivaled's debut season (21.2 points in only 12.8 minutes per game), while Diggins-Smith has hit the most game-winning shots (four). The winner of that matchup will meet Ogunbowale in the second round, which is a difficult test, but both Hamby and Diggins-Smith are skilled enough to make a deep run, too. The tournament consists almost entirely of single-elimination competition. Only the finals are a best-of-three series. Games are played to a winning score of 11 points, or 10 total minutes in length, whichever is reached first. The clock will not stop during gameplay. Unrivaled's regular season uses a modified 18-second shot clock, but its one-on-one tournament will have a seven-second shot clock. Game flow is make-it-take-it, meaning if a player scores a basket, they retain possession. Games follow traditional scoring rules; a 2-point shot still counts for 2 points and a 3-pointer is worth 3 points. Players have been drawn to various financial aspects of Unrivaled. The original 36 players all received equity in the league with an average salary of more than $200,000 for the 10-week season. The one-on-one tournament is similarly lucrative. Advertisement The prize pool is $350,000 total, with $200,000 going to the winner. Each of the winner's teammates receives $10,000. The tournament runner-up receives $25,000, and the semifinalists who don't advance to the final also receive $25,000. By comparison, the WNBA CBA allocates only $2,575 to the winner of the Skills Challenge and 3-point competition during the league's All-Star Weekend. (The WNBPA, in partnership with Aflac, provided a $55,000 bonus to the winner of each competition this past summer.) Ogunbowale has yet to have a vintage performance at Unrivaled. She has scored more than 20 points only once in her first six games and has not hit a 3-pointer since the end of January. Still, Ogunbowale is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the sport. Her 34 points in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game — all in the second half — showed that when she heats up she can be nearly impossible to stop. Ogunbowale has a first-round bye, and although she will have to play a WNBA All-Star in the second round — either Diggins-Smith or Hamby — she should be favored against both players, as well as either of her potential quarterfinal opponents, Satou Sabally or DiJonai Carrington. Showcases seemed to be tailor-made to her strengths. While it's risky to pick a No. 1 seed, Ogunbowale's ability to score from all areas of the floor — and trade 3s for 2s — makes her a worthwhile pick. The tournament will be broadcast over three days on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The first round begins Monday at 7 p.m. (ET) on TNT and truTV. The second round and quarterfinals air Tuesday from 7-10 p.m. on truTV. The semifinals and finals air Friday on TNT and truTV between 7:30-9 p.m. as the lead-in for TNT's NBA Rising Stars All-Star Weekend competition 'It's pretty cool that it leads up to NBA All-Star Weekend,' Cooper said. 'We're not a part of (the weekend officially), but it's kind of in the same vein of what that week is all about. It gets people in the mindset for skills competition, slam dunk competition, 3-point competition, and our one-on-one competition is kinda in there as well.' (Photo of Arike Ogunbowale: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
