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The 2026 Unrivaled championship final lived up to the hype.
We had incredible performances by the league’s biggest stars, with Breanna Stewart stepping up for Mist and Kelsey Plum putting on a show for Phantom.
And in the end, Mist came out on top, beating Phantom 80-74.
The final play was anticlimactic, with Stewart winning the game on a free throw, but the rest of the game did not lack in drama.
Phantom led early in the opening quarter, 21-14, but Mist responded and evened the score at 24 after one quarter of play. For most of the first half, Mist maintained a narrow lead, responding each time Phantom evened the game.
In the third quarter, Mist pulled away and entered the final period ahead, 68-62. After the trio of Allisha Gray, Stewart and Ogunbowale all scored in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, it looked like Phantom was done for.
However, Plum had other ideas. She scored five-consecutive points to put Phantom within five, which forced Mist to call a timeout. The pause in action didn’t slow Phantom, as Tiffany Hayes scored, and after another 5-0 run by Plum, it was a 78-75 game.
With the winning score set at 79 points, all Mist needed was one more make to end the night.
After Stewart drove into the paint, she ran over Hayes, and the officials called it an offensive foul, giving Phantom possession. However, after a review, the call was overturned, and not only did Hayes foul out of the game, but Stewart was on the line with a chance to win it.
She didn’t disappoint, and now Stewart is an Unrivaled champion, adding another bullet point to her Hall-of-Fame resume.
Stewart scored 32 points in this championship game and was as efficient as can be, going 11-for-15 from the field. She also had four rebounds and four assists. Due to her performance, she was named the MVP of the game. During the championship ceremony, Stewie said:
Everybody came this year with a chip on their shoulder. And we remembered that. We played with that throughout this entire season, and when the moment was its biggest, we were ready.
Arike Ogunbowale had a great game for Mist. Ogunbowale scored 19 points and had a plus-minus of +7, the best in the game.
In defeat, Plum was sensational. She set an Unrivaled record for most points in a playoff game, scoring 40 on the night. Her fourth-quarter baskets kept Phantom in this one and pushed the Mist to the brink. Postgame Plum reflected on her performance, as well as her Unrivaled experience overall:
It’s hard when it ends like this, but overall it was an amazing season. And really just had an amazing group, coach leading the way. I think chemistry, that’s kind of what I learned. How important chemistry is and how important it is to have everyone firing on all cylinders.
Kiki Iriafen also had a solid game for Phantom, recording a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The celebration for Mist was equally as epic as their victory was.
The light blue and white confetti filled the air as the music blasted, and Li Yueru made sure to get the champagne flowing. Ogunbowale was grinning from ear to ear, basking in the moment, and lighting up cigars with Alanna Smith.
Indeed, basketball never stops, but this season of Unrivaled basketball has now come to an end.
The biggest question now: When we will see all these incredibly talent women playing professional basketball again?
On paper, the dates are set. Training camps for the WNBA are set to begin on April 19, but without a new CBA, every date must come with an asterisk indicating it’s subject to change. Hopefully, a satisfactory agreement is reached for everyone involved, and we can all enjoy this fantastic sport and these excellent athletes sooner rather than later.
