Unrivaled facility a work in progress, but offers glimpse into Wings’ future in Dallas

MEDLEY, Fla. — What looks like a mere office building in an industrial area about seven miles from Miami International Airport is actually an offseason haven for some of the WNBA’s best players.

It’s where Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 women’s basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, lives. The new league has reimagined the offseason for many WNBA players, who have historically played overseas to supplement their low salaries.

Unrivaled, which kicked off its second season Monday and features Dallas Wings stars Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Maddy Siegrist and Li Yueru, has allowed players to receive compensation for offseason play in the U.S. The player-owned model also grants them the facilities and amenities they hope to see WNBA teams adopt.

Largely funded by investors (including Bueckers), Unrivaled boasts three practice courts, a main arena for games, a large weight room, locker rooms for each of its eight clubs and essentially everything a modern women’s basketball player could need.

There’s a salon sponsored by Sephora, a child care room, a rest and recovery lounge sponsored by Samsung, two hyperbaric oxygen chambers and an in-house aesthetician. Housing is also provided to players and staff. So are meals.

“Anything you want or anything you want to do, you can get it,” Yueru said before her and Ogunbowale’s Mist BC team beat Hive BC 72-56 to open the season Monday. “Even something I never think about.”

That’s more than what many WNBA clubs offer players, though the Wings, who practice and play games at UT Arlington’s College Park Center, expect a new state-of-the-art practice facility at Joey Georgusis Park in Far West Oak Cliff to open before this season’s training camp.

The Wings were also set to move into a renovated Memorial Auditorium in downtown Dallas in 2026, but delays with the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center redevelopment pushed back that transition to 2027.

Oftentimes, the Wings seem like visitors in their home arena, which has UT Arlington signage everywhere. In August, one of their practices was delayed due to UTA’s sports teams occupying the practice court and a graduation ceremony on campus.

That sort of thing would never happen at Unrivaled, but the league is still making itself at home as it operates with existing infrastructure.

Before the inaugural season tipped off last January, the league partnered with Mediapro North America, known for its audiovisual content production and distribution services teams, to build the Unrivaled facility, which also includes an athlete content creation hub, a fan zone area and a merch store.

The court where games are held used to be a sound stage, and Mediapro signage remains on the building. League representatives told The Dallas Morning News that Unrivaled bought more nearby Mediapro buildings.

This season, the league added the third practice court and 15,000 square feet of player spaces, Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler told media members Monday. The main arena has 25% more seating, bringing the total to around 1,000, and the player lounge has been remodeled.

All forward progress, but the operation still has a pop-up feel.

Parking around the area is limited, and areas throughout the building are still being constructed. You can even smell paint drying in certain corners of the facility. A more established feel could come with time, as the league is only in its second season, but for now the operation seems a bit unfinished.

Ogunbowale, who is in her second season with Unrivaled, said Monday she has seen improvements in the player accommodations department.

“They’re great,” the Wings star said. “We have the best athletes here, and that’s how they’re treating it.”

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