Sabrina Ionescu among WNBA players not returning to Unrivaled

Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Sky forward Angel Reese and Dream center Brittney Griner are among the stars who won’t be returning to play in Unrivaled’s second season.

That became clear Thursday when the 3-on-3 basketball league, co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, announced Storm center Dominique Malonga, Sky guard Rebecca Allen and Fever guard Aari McDonald would be taking up the final three roster spots.

The announcement of Malonga joining Unrivaled comes just 10 days after Fenerbahce — a Turkey-based professional women’s basketball club where Jonquel Jones and Emma Meesseman are playing this offseason — announced the 6-foot-6 French star “unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause.”

Fenerbahce threatened to use its legal rights “to seek compensation for any material and moral damages incurred” because of that decision.

How this might impact Malonga’s status for the 2026 WNBA season remains unclear. The Turkish federation will have to sign off on a level of clearance for her to return to the WNBA, though ESPN reported the level of clearance wasn’t required for Malonga to play at Unrivaled.

Unrivaled announced last month that it would be expanding to an eight-club league that would add 12 new roster spots.

Stewart and Natasha Cloud are the only two players from the 2025 Liberty who will be participating in the upcoming Unrivaled season.

Nyara Sabally also said she plans to spend time in Miami this offseason as she rehabs with her older sister, Satou, who once again plans to participate in Unrivaled.

The Liberty will be represented on the Miami sidelines by director of player development Andrew Wade, who was a coach last season, and assistant coach Zach O’Brien, who will make his Unrivaled debut in January.

Unrivaled is scheduled to tip off Jan. 5.