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It’s beginning to feel like the WNBA and Unrivaled are headed toward a collision, or at the very least, reaching a boiling point that will be difficult to pull back from.
The two leagues weathered the launch and first season of Unrivaled well (or so it appeared to outsiders). Unrivaled was founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, who entered into negotiations with the WNBA with the best intentions. The pair offered the W a small equity share in Unrivaled to support this; the goal appears to have been to show that the leagues can coexist. Unfortunately, the partnership would have violated WNBA rules and Cathy Engelbert turned it down.
Unrivaled kicked off in January 2025 during the WNBA offseason, but with rosters full of WNBA players. There were concerns about injuries and how they might impact the beginning of the W’s season, but the league’s three-month season largely proceeded without major conflict.
Questions surrounding Collier and Stewart’s roles in the WNBA, the WNBPA, and Unrivaled have been raised and addressed all season; both Collier and Stewart have maintained they don’t believe their participation in all three presents a conflict of interest. That’s not really technically true — the pair are operating a league that is shaping up to be the biggest threat to the WNBA in years — but what is true is that they are committed to the W at the same time.
In fact, Collier’s four-minute missive delivered to reporters on September 30 could be interpreted as her strongest act in support of the WNBA to date; if she didn’t care about the direction of league, why spend her time (and risk her own reputation) fighting for it as hard as she did?
WNBA players could make drastic decisions this offseason
The fact of the matter is that the undercurrent of displeasure within the WNBA doesn’t begin and end with Collier; while some players spoke out in support of what she had to say about Engelbert and league leadership, others have likely offered their support behind closed doors. The players of the WNBA are in a delicate position, and many likely feel the pressure to simultaneously advocate for themselves and their teammates while not outwardly pushing the buttons of the hand that feeds them.
This is one of the most frustrating things about the WNBA in 2025: players deserve more, they know they deserve more, fans want them to have more, but they’re caught in what feels like a cyclical trap: if they say too much, they could lose favor or even create problems for themselves within the league. If they don’t say anything, nothing will change.
There’s no blueprint for what comes next. Players might decide that Unrivaled is enough and not play in the W at all; CBA negotiations could come crashing down; they may refuse to move forward with anything until Engelbert is out. Everything could change or nothing could change, and the possibilities in terms of what could come next has everyone on the edge of their seats.
