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Thanks to a new agreement between the WNBA Players’ Association and Unrivaled Basketball, licensed player merchandise has arrived.
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On Monday, Unrivaled announced via social media that player jerseys would now be available for purchase at Wayfair Arena where the six basketball clubs have been playing their inaugural season. Online jersey sales have not yet been confirmed.
The two organizations reached an agreement last Thursday that now allows for Unrivaled to use players’ NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights. Currently all players in the new 3v3 league are active WNBA players.
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As written by Margaret Fleming of Front office Sports, the teams are not based on any city, so fans gravitate to the players and squads they most connect with. Until now, Unrivaled was unable to sell player products. Only league and team-specific merchandise was previously available to fans for purchase online and in person.
The deal also allows for The Realest, a collectibles authenticator, to aid in the sale of game-used memorabilia, like basketballs signed by the player that scores the game-winning shot after every game.
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The current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which the WNBPA opted out of at the end of last season, does not pay players any profits from their individual jersey sales. Unrivaled structured the league, co-founded by players Napheesa Collier and Briana Stewart, to give players equity in the league and accessibility to benefits such as childcare and advanced training facilities.
This licensing agreement and the success of Unrivaled provides further leverage for WNBA players to receive better pay and treatment from the league and teams.
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Though it has yet to be commented on, the licensing agreement may allow for trading cards to be produced after the conclusion of the season. Panini America currently holds the WNBA trading card license, but individual players like Sabrina Ionescu have signed exclusive memorabilia and signing deals with Fanatics.
