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If “The Future Is Unrivaled” like the 3×3 league’s tagline indicates, then what place do the Sparks players have in it?
Last year, Rickea Jackson, Azurá Stevens and Rae Burrell all participated in Unrivaled, with Stevens winning the title with Team Rose. In addition, Cam Brink is signed to the league but did not compete last year, obviously, due to her injury.
With Sparks’ season now over after narrowly missing out on the playoffs, the focus now shifts to Unrivaled and who will play in the 2026 campaign.
The league has announced the addition of two new teams, but complete rosters have yet to be revealed.
With the WNBA potentially entering a lockout this fall, perhaps that increases the likelihood that players will want to earn some money and participate in Unrivaled and other offseason leagues.
A few Sparks players spoke about the likelihood of playing in the league during exit interviews on Thursday.
Will Kelsey Plum play in Unrivaled?
Plum was asked point-blank if she would play for Unrivaled and she paused for a moment before stating that she couldn’t say just yet.
While reading into body language and tone can be tricky, it certainly seemed like she was battling with whether to announce it or not. Unrivaled has been quiet about their official roster, so my educated guess is she’s likely to play.
She was supposed to play in Unrivaled last season, but backed out to rest and prepare for the WNBA year. Now that she’s seen the success of the league and is about to enter a longer-than-usual offseason, perhaps she’s more inclined to agree.
After all, she initially wanted to be part of Unrivaled to begin with, so it wouldn’t be a shock if she did, in fact, participate this year.
What about Jackson, Hamby, Stevens and Burrell?
After averaging 12.9 points and 3.9 rebounds for Team Mist last season, Jackson is unsure if she’ll return to play in Unrivaled.
For Stevens, Hamby and Burrell, there is still no news regarding their status with Unrivaled as the trio did not discuss their immediate playing futures during their exit interviews on Thursday.
As mentioned above, Stevens found great success winning it all last year, and Hamby finished in the top five in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game.
It will be interesting to see if Burrell plays or not. The Sparks gave her a $12,500 time-off bonus, which means she can’t play anywhere for 90 days after the WNBA season concludes. With Unrivaled starting in January, she can abide by those rules and still play, but it’s something to keep in mind.
A player who has already been confirmed to play in Unirvaled is Brink. This was announced back in December 2024, and with her returning to the Sparks, fans can expect her to suit up for the Lunar Owls this season.
A league like Unrivaled is perfect for Brink. She was still limited with the Sparks since she was recovering from her ACL injury, so any additional time she can spend playing professional basketball will be good for her.
Ideally, she can use Unrivaled to help her hit the ground running for Sparks training camp in 2026.
Until Unrivaled announces all its players, there could also be some surprise Sparks who join.
Unrivaled will certainly have some extra space with two additional teams, so perhaps players like Alissa Pili or rookie Sania Feagin get a shot at some 3×3 basketball.
While so much is still unknown, it’s likely that Sparks fans will be watching Unrivaled to keep up with their favorite players in January.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
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