Mist Claims Unrivaled Title As WNBA Labor Deadline Looms | News

The Unrivaled basketball league crowned its second champion on Wednesday night as Arike Ogunbowale and Allisha Gray powered Mist to an 80-74 victory over Phantom, securing the 2026 title. The win marks a significant turnaround for a Mist squad that both its regular-season games against Phantom before peaking at the perfect moment to claim the championship.

Complimenting Breanna Stewart’s 32 points, Ogunbowale finished with 19 points to help Mist maintain control throughout the back-and-forth affair. Gray contributed 12 points, providing the veteran scoring punch needed to hold off a late surge from the top-seeded Phantom squad. 

The win comes with a major financial reward for the six players on Mist’s roster, who will split a $600,000 winners’ pool. That’s double the prize money awarded to Rose during the league’s inaugural season in 2025.

Phantom kept the game tight behind a massive scoring night from Kelsey Plum, who put up 40 points on 14-of-21 shooting. Despite her scoring outburst, the depth and resilience of the Mist roster proved too much to overcome. Kiki Iriafen, one of the league’s rising stars and a top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, finished with 13 points for Phantom, while Tiffany Hayes chipped in 12.

The championship game highlighted the rapid growth of the 3-on-3 league co-founded by Napheesa Collier. Designed to bridge the gap during the WNBA offseason, Unrivaled expanded this year to include more teams and a bevy of young talent. The league also saw a massive jump in visibility, breaking attendance records during a tour stop in Philadelphia and selling out the Barclays Center for the semifinal round in Brooklyn.

However, this title game may carry extra weight as the immediate future of professional women’s basketball in the U.S. remains uncertain. With the WNBA and its players currently without a labor agreement for the upcoming season, and a Tuesday deadline looming to avoid delays, the Mist-Phantom final could be the last professional action fans see for some time.