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Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin, Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud and Connecticut Sun forward Aaliyah Edwards led Wednesday’s reveal for the 2026 Unrivaled roster.
All four are returning stars after having competed in Unrivaled’s inaugural campaign.
Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen and Valkyries forward Monique Billings will be making their debuts
The Las Vegas Aces left Martin unprotected in the expansion draft, and Golden State jumped at the chance to get the 2024 second-round pick. She built on her encouraging rookie year to become a valuable role player in the Valkyries backcourt and helped the team qualify for the playoffs in its first year.
Martin averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and one assist in 16.4 minutes per contest. Her 57 made threes were also third on the team.
Golden State’s squad will look a lot different in Year 2, with team governor Joe Lacob having set a goal of winning a title within five seasons. Martin is still under contract through 2027, but that may not provide a ton of assurances about her future.
In the event the Valkyries want to evaluate all of their options, Unrivaled will be a great avenue for the 25-year-old to showcase her value to another franchise.
For Hamby and many others, the three-on-three competition is an opportunity to make any final impressions before free agency gets underway, which typically happens in late January.
The three-time All-Star probably doesn’t need much help in that regard, though, after putting together one of her best seasons in the WNBA. She averaged 18.4 points on 57.2 percent shooting along with 7.9 rebounds and a team-high 1.6 steals.
Cloud was unable to achieve the objective of winning a second WNBA title after joining the reigning champion Liberty. New York was bounced in the first round of the playoffs, which prompted the exit of head coach Sandy Brondello.
Still, it was another productive year from the veteran playmaker. She appeared in 41 games, averaging 10.1 points and 5.1 assists. Her 33.8 percent clip from beyond the arc was the second-highest of her career.
Billings is another vet who will hope to use Unrivaled to leverage any interest from WNBA teams.
An ankle injury limited the 29-year-old to 26 games, but she went out on a bit of a high note. She had 15 points and four rebounds as the Valkyries came up just short in their postseason finale against the Minnesota Lynx.
Edwards will be eager to turn the page from a frustrating 2025.
With the arrival of Iriafen, Edwards saw her role with the Mystics diminish. She went from averaging nearly 22 minutes a night and making 17 starts to being used exclusively off the bench and playing 13.3 minutes per game.
A midseason trade to the Sun brought a needed change of scenery, but that didn’t prompt an uptick in her performance. The 6’3″ forward averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds and shot just 40 percent overall in 15 games with Connecticut.
Through her participation in Unrivaled, Edwards can help lay the foundation for a bounce-back year in 2026.
Iriafen, on the other hand, will try to carry over her momentum from the WNBA season.
The No. 4 overall pick was one of two Washington rookies to make the All-Star Game along with Sonia Citron. She averaged 13.3 points and 8.5 rebounds, fully justifying her status as a lottery selection.
With Citron and Iriafen both suiting up, this winter is going to serve as a reminder of the Mystics’ bright future ahead.
