Unrivaled president reveals which WNBA player especially stood out in preseason play

Unrivaled — the new professional women’s 3-on-3 basketball leagues — is set to tip off on Friday, and the basketball community is eager to tune in to watch 36 of the world’s best WNBA players compete, a list that includes Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese, and Brittney Griner.

The roster is mostly made of multiple-time All-Stars and Olympic players — decorated players in the primes of their careers — but there’s a handful of less accomplished players with enormous potential.

Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation that through the first week of preseason action, there’s been a surprise standout: Los Angeles Sparks forward Rae Burrell.

“Rae Burrell has kind of been off the charts early,” Bazzell said. “Not to say she’s not also a great player in the WNBA. It’s why she’s here. We targeted the best of the best. But I think this game is even further built for her versatility, and her length, and her skill level.”

Burrell, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the No. 9 pick in 2022, has been a solid bench player in her first three seasons. This past season, she averaged 5.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 15.6 minutes off the bench for the Sparks this past season. In college, Burrell averaged 10.3 points as one of Tennessee’s top players, shooting 34.1% from three-point range.

But, while she’s shown flashes of potential, Burrell only scored in the double-digits six times last season. So far through the early days of Unrivaled, she’s exceeded that production.

“She’s constantly in conversations in the coach’s office like, ‘Wow, we didn’t realize she was going to be this impactful this early — because she’s also a pretty young player,” Bazzell said of the 24-year-old.

Burrell is a member of the Vinyl club, which also includes Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Jordin Canada (Atlanta Dream), and Dearica Hamby (Sparks). That team is coached by WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon, who most recently served as the head coach of the Chicago Sky before being dismissed after her first season.

The 3-on-3 full-court is a unique concept — and one that hasn’t ever been professionalized in this fashion. As such, there may very well be players who disproportionately thrive in this environment more than they historically have in the WNBA.

“There’s players that this game is just kind of built for them. The spacing, the pace — having versatility in 3-on-3 is really important,” Bazzell said. “The WNBA is a very physical game. So, I think what you’re seeing here is you don’t have to be the strongest player, you don’t have to be the biggest player, but you have to be versatile. Those players who are faster, can handle it, can shoot it, can guard — there’s a lot of players I think are really going to stand out in this league even more than others.”

Burrell, speaking on the Pull Up podcast last month, said she’s previously played 3-on-3 full court and loved it.

“I actually really, really enjoyed it. It just is the space, and everything, and the downhill, and the fast pace of it,” she said. “It’s just something that I really enjoy, and the type of play that I like to play.”

And, while the preseason content has been light-hearted — players and competitors alike are teaming up to create TikToks and social media reels — Bazzell stressed that the first week was marked by intense competition.

“I think what people don’t realize is just how competitive this game is going to be,” he said. “After watching the preseason games, just how serious the clubs and the players are taking it — these players are going at it. You see players who are on WNBA teams that are getting chippy with one another because they just want to win.”