In January, a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind offseason women’s basketball league begins as the inaugural season of Unrivaled gets underway in Miami. After months of patiently waiting for the games to start, players have now arrived and preparations are well underway for opening tip-off.
The league, which was co-founded by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, features 36 of the top WNBA talents across six teams playing a new style of 3-on-3 basketball played on a compressed court.
Unrivaled is groundbreaking for many reasons, including setting a record with the highest average salaries in women’s sports history. It also offers the ability for players to remain in the United States rather than heading overseas immediately following the WNBA season.
The unique league is not only going to give players additional exposure year-round, but it also allows for the growth and exposure of those “behind the scenes” leading the league from its infancy.
One of the people leading this league is executive vice president and general manager Clare Duwelius, someone who has ascended quickly in the WNBA in the Minnesota Lynx front office.
For those unfamiliar with Duwelius and her impressive career to this point, here’s a look back on where it all started for Duwelius and how quickly she has risen up the ranks with the Lynx and beyond.
Where It All Started
An Iowa native, Duwelius was heavily involved with sports growing up, but quickly found basketball as her favorite sport she could see herself continuing. After high school, Duwelius went on to play collegiately at Wayne State College in Nebraska, concluding her career as the program’s all-time leader in threes made.
When her playing days were over, Duwelius jumped right into her career, starting as a graduate assistant coach at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. There is where she assisted in all operations of the women’s basketball program, an experience that jump-started her career.
In 2014, Duwelius made the jump to the WNBA, beginning her career as a basketball operations manager with the Minnesota Lynx. This would be the launching pad for what would be an impressive ascension up the ranks of the organization.
“After coaching, I was able and lucky enough to land something here with the Lynx,” Duwelius said in August on the Lynx Unleashed Podcast, which is produced by the team. “I just worked away and kind of tried to carve out my value as a young professional … which I’m very proud and lucky to say.”
As the basketball operations manager, Duwelius served as a key contributor for all operations of the Lynx organization. She remained in that role until 2018, when she was given a promotion to assistant general manager under then general manager and current head coach, Cheryl Reeve.
“I am beyond grateful for the time I was able to work alongside Clare throughout her tenure at the Lynx,” said Michelle Blexrud, current basketball operations manager for the Lynx who has worked closely with Duwelius—and has also ascended within the organization—over the last nine seasons.
“She was not only an incredible colleague, she has also been a wonderful mentor and friend,” Blexrud continued. “She is a true example of selflessness, always putting her players and the team before herself. She has been instrumental in my growth within the organization. She is one of one.”
But the rise of Duwelius didn’t stop there. In 2022, she was once again promoted within the organization as she approached the decade mark of her tenure in Minnesota, being named the fourth general manager in franchise history. As general manager, Duwelius—alongside Reeve as president of basketball operations—helped the Lynx successfully rebuild into a team that returned to the WNBA Finals in 2024 and nearly claimed the WNBA title against the New York Liberty.
“We are excited for Clare’s new opportunity with Unrivaled and thank her for 11 great years inside the Lynx organization,” Reeve said via a statement issued by the Lynx after Duwelius was named to her role with Unrivaled. “Clare was tireless in her efforts to support the Lynx players and staff in her roles as director of Lynx basketball operations and subsequently general manager. We will miss her, and we wish her well as she embarks on this new journey.”
Landing a New Opportunity
The success and skillset of Duwelius didn’t go unnoticed within the WNBA and across the basketball world, resulting in her taking on a new opportunity outside of the Lynx organization in November of 2024.
Duwelius, who turns 36 in April, was named the first executive vice president and general manager of Unrivaled, continuing her impressive career trajectory as a young executive.
“It was an opportunity that I thought was really enticing for me and my skillset,” Duwelius said on the Locked on Women’s Basketball Podcast. “I’ve had the great privilege of working with some of the best people, the best organization, the brilliant mind of Cheryl Reeve. I was with Minnesota for over a decade and I am super proud of the time I had there and I obviously learned a lot.”
In her new position, Duwelius will play a key role in shaping the direction of basketball operations within the league, being tasked with leading Unrivaled’s efforts in contract negotiations with players and coaches, overseeing league referees, regulating rules, managing league administration and more.
“What I learned in this position was, it’s brand new and it’s innovative. It’s the opportunity where I felt I could put my fingerprints on something that is exactly what the players need and is player-centric,” Duwelius said in that podcast appearance. “I get to do a little bit of everything which I’ve always loved. That is what drew me to it almost immediately, not to mention working alongside the best athletes in the world which has always been of paramount importance to me.”
Unrivaled will tip off its historic first season on Jan. 17 in Miami, with all games airing live on either TNT or truTV along with having games streamed live on Max. And Duwelius will be at the center of it all, continuing her impressive ascension up the ranks of women’s basketball—something Lynx fans and faithful have seen first-hand but now the rest of the world gets to witness.
“It’s going to be really awesome to see it on full display here soon,” Duwelius said.
