Bring your game, not your name

Unrivaled held the first round of its 1-on-1 tournament on Monday night, with co-founder Breanna Stewart taking on Aaliyah Edwards. Many thought that Stewart would have an easy win over, but her Mist BC teammate put on a show, winning 12-0.

As part of Unrivaled’s inaugural season, they held the first round of the 1-on-1 tournament that had a lot of hurdles. Due to injuries, some players on the bracket received a bye matchup and advanced.

In the case of Stewart vs. Edwards, the winner skipped the second round and advanced to the quarterfinals. Edwards would have faced the winner between Alyssa Thomas and Kate Martin, but both players were ruled out with injuries.

Edwards shut out her teammate by scoring at will whether inside or outside, leaving the WNBA champion struggling.

Fans were shocked to see Aaliyah Edwards, who is set to earn $74,909 next season in the WNBA, beat Breanna Stewart with ease. Edwards averaged 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in her first season with the Washington Mystics.

“Bring your game, not your name!” a fan wrote.

“She needs to relinquish any GOAT claim….,” one fan claimed.

“Ngl, not actually surprised Breanna isn’t that good on a 1v1.. Going scoreless is definitely embarrassing and shocking,” another fan commented.

Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament is kind of like the In-Season Tournament in the NBA and WNBA. The winner will be rewarded handsomely with $350,000. There were initially 30 participants, but injuries trimmed it down. The remaining players will play in a one-game knockout round, first to 12 with a “you make it, you take it” rule.

“Not gonna lie. I doubted her. I caught myself saying “just give Stewart the win atp.” She proved me wrong!” a fan tweeted.

“Breanna Washed,” one fan quipped.

“Unrivaled has really exposed Breanna Stewart. She’s looks terrible out on the court and off of the court,” another fan remarked.

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier co-founded Unrivaled, with Collier’s husband Alex Bazzell serving as president. The league plays full-court 3-on-3 basketball and is televised on TNT and TruTV. It’s also streamed on MAx.

Which players advance to the second round after Breanna Stewart’s exit?

Following the shocking exit of Breanna Stewart, seven more players advanced to the second round. Napheesa Collier, Shakira Austin, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Allisha Gray are all set to play tomorrow in the next round of the 1-on-1 tournament.

The most intriguing matchups in Round 2 will be Allisha Gray vs. Kahleah Copper, Arike Ogunbowale vs. Skyla Diggins-Smith and Courtney Williams vs. Rhyne Howard. Ogunbowale is the likely favorite given her skills as a scorer and one-on-one player.

Edited by Ruth John S