Unrivaled: Can anyone prevent Paige from being the free throw champ?

$50,000 is on the line at Unrivaled. Literally.

Players have two more games to put themselves in position to secure the cash prize by cashing in from the free throw line and winning the first-ever Free Throw Challenge. To capture the prize, the player not only must register the highest free throw percentage, but appear in at least three of her team’s first five games and attempt at least six free throws.

Before the contest closes on Jan. 19, let’s check in on who’s in the running to be Unrivaled’s inaugural free throw queen, looking first at the still-perfect favorites, then at high-volume contenders who’ve missed just one free throw and finally at a dangerous dark horse.

This is Paige Bueckers’ competition to lose.

She’s not only a pitch-perfect 8-for-8 from the line, but, crucially, her eight attempts are the fourth-most free throws taken by any player through three games. That volume, which is likely to increase due to her effectiveness drawing fouls as a driver, separates her from the other still-perfect free throw shooters.

While it’s easier said that done, all Paige has to do is NOT miss from the line and the $50K bag almost assuredly will belong to her. During the 2025 WNBA season, she went 88.8 percent from the line, missing less than 20 of her 152 total attempts during her rookie campaign with the Dallas Wings.

Veronica Burton (Mist), Dominque Malonga (Breeze), Azurá Stevens (Rose)

Veronica Burton, Dominique Malonga and Azurá Stevens are all 5-for-5 from the line, meaning they have yet to reach the required six attempts to qualify for the challenge. With two more games, all three should have the opportunity to earn more trips to the charity stripe, especially since all of them also are starters for their clubs who average at least 12 minutes per game.

Of the bunch, Stevens is taking the most shot attempts per game, suggesting she is most likely to get fouled and go to the line. Furthermore, Stevens already has proven that she shouldn’t be overlooked in Unrivaled competitions, as she surprisingly advanced to the semifinals of the 1-on-1 Tournament last season.

Burton, however, had the best percentage of the three during the 2025 WNBA season. She was 87.8 percent from the line for the Golden State Valkyries. Her 189 attempts were also the ninth-most in the W last season, an indication that she could quickly collect more trips to the line.

High-volume, high-percentage contenders

Marina Mabrey (Lunar Owls)

Marina Mabrey, the high-usage offensive engine for Lunar Owls, is third in Unrivaled with nine free throw attempts through three games. Unlike her teammate Aaliyah Edwards and Phantom’s Kiki Iriafen, who have both earned double-digit freebies, but have each missed four, she’s missed just one, putting her at 8-for-9. If Paige slips up and suffers a miss or two, Marina can pounce and claim the $50K. During the 2025 WNBA season with the Connecticut Sun, she shot 87 percent on free throws, her best percentage since 2021.

Breanna Stewart has been to the stripe seven times, a free throw rate consistent with the foul-drawing proclivity she displayed during the 2025 WNBA season, when she earned a career-high 6.5 free throw attempts per game for the New York Liberty. But, Stewie shot only 83.7 percent from the line in the W, and, outside of the 89.4 percent she shot in the 2020 Wubble, she’s never topped 85.1 percent on free throws in her career. Even as she’s likely to earn more opportunities, Stewie might not be able to maintain her current 6-for-7 pace.

Chelsea Gray (Rose), Jackie Young (Laces)

Would anyone be surprised if Chelsea Gray wins this thing? The Point Gawd owns the Unrivaled court.

As clubs sell out to try to prevent her from dropping tough jumpers on their heads, Gray could earn repeated trips to the free throw, racking up the attempts required to vault her to the top of leaderboard. And as she seems to rarely miss a field goal, do we really expect Gray to miss another free throw? During 2025 WNBA season, she sunk 88.5 percent of her free throws. She also has three WNBA seasons where she shot better than 91 percent from the line.

Right now, she’s 5-for-6 from the line, as is her Las Vegas Aces teammate Jackie Young, who was an almost 90 percent free throw shooter during the 2025 WNBA season. During the Aces’ playoff run, she was even better, making 94.5 percent of her 55 playoff free throws.

Two members of Hive, Sonia Citron and Monique Billings, also sit at 5-for-6. Compared to Gray and Young, two higher-usage primary ball handlers, Citron and Billings seem less likely to earn the attempts required to help them leap up the leaderboard. Furthermore, while Billings plays a high-activity style that could see her get hacked frequently, she’s not a historically great free throw shooter. Last WNBA season with the Valkyries, she shot below 70 percent from the line.

During the 2025 WNBA season, Kelsey Plum attempted 5.7 free throws per game, the third-most in the league. Overall, she shot 244 free throws, the second-most in the league. And, she converted from the stripe at an 89.3 percent rate.

Yet, despite dropping 38 points in only her second-career Unrivaled game, Plum has attempted just one free throw, which she, of course, made, putting her at 1-for-1 on the free throw scoreboard.

But KP has the potential to threaten Paige for the free throw crown due to her proven ability to draw fouls and drain free throws at a prolific rate. If Plum can get to the line five or six times in Phantom’s next game, and sink all her foul shots, things could get interesting.