The Unrivaled playoffs have arrived, with Sunday’s 3×3 basketball action determining the two teams who will compete for the grand prize in Monday night’s final.
The inaugural league's two-day postseason will open with Sunday's semifinals. No. 3-seed Laces BC will first face-off against No. 2 Rose BC, with the No. 1 Lunar Owls taking on No. 4 Vinyl BC in the nightcap.
The winners will then go head-to-head on Monday, battling it out in the championship with a $50,000-per-player payday on the line.
"It’s money on the line," Lunar Owls guard Courtney Williams said earlier this week. "Anytime money is on the line, I think everybody has to up the ante."
After blasting through the regular-season with five more wins than any other club, Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls are the heavy favorites to hoist hardware, particularly if Rose BC — the only team to defeat the Lunar Owls all season — is without 22-year-old star Angel Reese, who exited the regular-season finale after seemingly re-aggravating her surgically repaired left wrist.
Top athletes earn first-ever All-Unrivaled honors
While teams prep for postseason action, the offseason league handed out end-of-season awards on Thursday, minting its debut All-Unrivaled First and Second Teams.
After tallying ballots from players, coaches, and media members, top scorer Collier earned a first-team nod, alongside the league's next two most prolific points-getters, Laces wing Kayla McBride and Rose guard Chelsea Gray.
Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, Vinyl wing Rhyne Howard, and the aforementioned Reese landed on the second team after excelling in assists, three-pointers, and rebounds, respectively.
All six All-Unrivaled players will feature on this weekend's court, with Sunday's lineup offering a final opportunity to see some of the sport’s biggest stars in what’s been a wildly successful debut for the league.
How to watch the 2025 Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball playoffs
Unrivaled’s first-ever playoffs tip off with Sunday's semifinals, starting with the Laces vs. Rose at 7:30 PM ET before the Vinyl's battle with the Lunar Owls at 8:30 PM ET.
The victors will then clash in Monday's championship game at 7:30 PM ET.
All three Unrivaled playoff games will air live on TNT.
Rose BC is tearing up the 3×3 basketball court, stringing together a five-game winning streak to surge to second place in the Unrivaled standings.
Forward Angel Reese has led the squad, registering the league’s first-ever 20+ point, 20+ rebound game in Friday’s 72-63 win over the Lunar Owls — the first loss suffered by the top-ranked Unrivaled team thus far.
Reese continued to roll on offense, putting up 23 points and 14 rebounds to lift Rose atop Phantom BC 71-59 on Monday.
"She's finishing now, and she's also taking a lot of leadership with a Rose team that has done a really good job of getting themselves back," said Phantom BC’s Natasha Cloud after Monday’s clash. "Angel set the tone for them — I felt it tonight."
Unrivaled teams battle for first-ever league playoff spots
Rose BC's recent rise is coming at the perfect time. With less than a month to go in the debut league's regular season, the next few weeks will determine which four teams make it to Unrivaled's first-ever playoffs.
After Friday's loss to Rose BC, the first-place Lunar Owls bounced back with an 88-60 victory over the Laces on Saturday — a win that ultimately made co-founder Napheesa Collier's squad the first Unrivaled team to officially punch a postseason ticket.
"We made everyone raise their level of play, and tonight we showed why we’re still number one," said Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith after Saturday's win.
Currently, Rose BC, Laces BC, and Vinyl BC are sitting above the postseason cut-off line, though the Mist and Phantom BC are each only one game behind the pack — putting every squad still well within striking distance of some inaugural season hardware.
With a locked-in group spanning some of the most talented — and competitive — basketball players in the world, expect even more late-season fireworks in the race to become Unrivaled’s first-ever champion on March 17th.
For as long as WNBA superstar Angel Reese can remember, the McDonald's brand has been synonymous with basketball.
And she's not alone. From TV commercials starring NBA legends like Michael Jordan and LeBron James to the brand’s involvement in youth basketball, working with McDonald’s has given a generation of athletes a new Wheaties box moment to strive towards.
"My biggest dream was to always be a McDonald's All-American," Reese told Just Women's Sports last week. And while Reese might have missed out on the All-American game as a high schooler due to pandemic-related shutdowns, her first professional alignment with McDonald's might end up being even more significant.
Next month, Reese will become the first-ever women's basketball player to lend her name to a signature McDonald's meal deal, the Angel Reese Special. Inspired by "Angel's boldly original style and swag," the combo — a Bold BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese plus fries and a drink — this drive-thrus across the country on February 10th.
Of course, McDonald's partnerships aren't limited to the world of sports. Musical artists and pop culture moguls like Saweetie, Cardi B, Travis Scott, and more have collaborated with the fast food giant in recent years. So it makes perfect sense that Reese, known for balancing a burgeoning pro career with influential projects off the court, is the first women's basketball player to make the leap.
"Obviously I'm a basketball player, but one day the ball will stop, and I always wanted to be more than that," she said. "That's why I try to tap into other things — my podcast, fashion, and everything else. To know I'm listed with some of the [McDonald's] greats obviously is a great feeling."
"It's amazing," she added. "It's bigger than basketball."
Learning from WNBA legends
"Bigger than basketball" has long been Reese's driving ethos. She takes her image very seriously, aiming to show little girls they too can make strides in the business of basketball. But she also wants global audiences to know that women's basketball has always been cutting edge.
"Lisa Leslie, she's been a face, putting on her gloss and makeup for games," Reese said. "Skylar [Diggins-Smith]'s been into fashion, They were wearing Skylar's jerseys — Drake, Wayne. You've got to realize this has been going on."
Entering her second year in the WNBA, the Chicago Sky rookie cherished the opportunity to personally give her role models their flowers.
"You guys helped me get to this point. You guys walked so I can run," she said, referencing the messages she's been able to give icons like Leslie and Diggins-Smith. "I'm doing these things because you guys did it."
Reese is currently starring for Rose BC, one of the six teams making up Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball's inaugural season. In Miami, she has a front-row seat to how established WNBA stars handle their personal brands, both on and off the court.
"It's like a summer camp — I'm learning everything from the vets," she said. "These are like my big sisters here, and I'm just enjoying everything."
Don't knock the hustle
Reese has been grinding non-stop since her senior year at LSU. Her longest break, she noted, only came after she suffered a season-ending wrist fracture playing for Chicago in early September. But the moment she was cleared to play, she moved to Miami and got to work.
Reflecting on her jam-packed 2024, Reese credits the professionals around her for helping her internalize many of the things rookies have to learn on the fly. These growing pains include reshaping ideas about how to eat, recovery, skill work, and avoiding burnout by taking time for yourself.
"There's no better time than now," she said emphatically. "I'm getting better because I'm around pros literally every single day."
"I think people forget that sometimes, that basketball has gotten me to being this superstar, and that's my main focus," she continues.
The 22-year-old has been in frequent contact with incoming Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh throughout the offseason. She's eager for the Sky to compete in the free agency market, putting together a core that can carry the team for years to come — some of which came early in reports of the signing of veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot.
The ultimate goal is making the 2025 playoffs, before launching a deep postseason run.
McDonald's deal is just the beginning for Reese
Between sponsorship opportunities, Unrivaled, and the WNBA, Reese's life is a juggling act. But she trusts that by continuing to grow on the court, everything else will fall into place. Like her McDonald's deal, she's always thinking about the bigger picture.
"I want somebody to be able to go to McDonald's and get a cup with Angel Reese's face on it. Like, who doesn't want to do that?" she said with a laugh. "Even with some of my other things I have going on — going in the store and getting my cereal box, small things like that — it should always be accessible."
"Women should be accessible," she emphasized. "We should be easy to see. We can turn on TNT every single night here and watch Unrivaled — this is what we deserve."
WNBA icon Skylar Diggins-Smith and Just Women’s Sports announced Wednesday that they are partnering on a new premium content series re-examining some of the most important stories in the history of women’s sports.
Diggins-Smith, who just began her first season with the Seattle Storm, and JWS are developing the docuseries as a way to bridge the past and present while bringing more authentic storytelling to the women’s sports space. The six-episode series will examine how each narrative impacted the way female athletes are treated and discussed in the media today.
For the six-time WNBA All-Star and Notre Dame legend, the partnership provides a chance to elevate the discourse around women’s sports.
"Women’s sports are breaking into the mainstream in a major way, but some of the most compelling stories have not been told in a way that’s authentic, impactful, and real," said Diggins-Smith.
A nine-year WNBA vet, Diggins-Smith first achieved national celebrity while in college, when she led Notre Dame to three Final Fours. She was the first female athlete to be signed to Roc Nation and is still represented by the agency today. While she has appeared in a number of high-profile commercials, productions, and brand campaigns throughout her professional career, this will be her first time leading a premium content series.
Diggins-Smith chose to partner with Just Women’s Sports because of the brand’s approach to women’s sports coverage and its success at growing and engaging a digital-first audience.
"Just Women’s Sports is the perfect partner for this project because they understand what makes women athletes unique," she said. "They’re a brand that celebrates every part of the game, and they talk about sports in a way that resonates with fans and the professional athletes in this space."
Just Women’s Sports is one of the fastest-growing and most engaged media platforms in sports, having started as an Instagram account in 2020 before expanding into a multi-platform brand reaching 80 million fans per month. The company has produced a number of podcasts and digital series — including the award-winning 91st, an in-studio show covering last summer’s Women's World Cup hosted by Midge Purce and Katie Nolan — but this will be JWS’s first premium content offering.
"There is a growing hunger for authentic women’s sports content that lets fans go beneath the surface and see the full picture," said Just Women’s Sports CEO and founder Haley Rosen. "So much of our focus these last few years has been around turning female athletes into household names. Now that the awareness is there, it’s time to level up and tell more complicated and compelling stories that speak to both die-hard and casual fans."
Fans can expect a formal announcement detailing the stories featured in the series following the conclusion of this season's WNBA and NWSL Championships.
The New York Liberty are 4-0 on the season for the first time since 2007.
The 2023 WNBA title finalists notched a 74-63 win over Seattle on Monday night, with Sabrina Ionescu dropping 20 points alongside eight assists. After the game, Ionescu told reporters she thought the team was coming together a bit easier than they did last year.
"I think having a year together, we don't nearly have to communicate as much on the court anymore," she said. "Because we can just play off one another and read. And that's obviously been the growth of this team, is being able to play a season together last year."
The team’s defense has also contributed heavily to the season's winning start. Last night, the Liberty held Jewell Loyd to just 13 points and nine rebounds. Loyd let the Storm in scoring, with only two other players in double digits, while Nneka Ogwumike missed her second straight game with an ankle injury.
Storm free agency acquisition Skylar Diggins-Smith had eight points, and is averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists per game this season. In her postgame remarks, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn called on others to give her grace in her return.
"There needs to be respect about the fact that she's had two children and hasn’t played in 20 months," said Quinn. "She’s not going to come overnight and be who she was 20 months ago and we have to respect that and honor that. And I do.
"My grace as a coach is to know she’s working her butt off every day. You guys don’t see it. Every single day. Two children. Not one, two. Not many can do that."
Skylar Diggins-Smith is teasing her WNBA free agency on social media.
Over the weekend, the 33-year-old guard addressed fans’ ideas of where she should go. It started when one fan suggested that Diggins-Smith should do a “Final 5” graphic for free agency in the vein of recruits announcing their college decisions.
“5 teams is a lot!” Diggins-Smith wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “You think it’s 5 teams I fit on?”
Lol
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) October 21, 2023
5 teams is a lot! You think it’s 5 teams I fit on? https://t.co/e5mV81ftv2
The six-time WNBA All-Star is set to be a free agent. And while Diggins-Smith sat out the 2023 season after giving birth to her second child, her time with the Phoenix Mercury came to a contentious end.
While neither side has completely opened up about the frayed relationship, Diggins-Smith has been vocal about her desire to move on. Back in September, she told Edition that she hopes to be “supported” by her next team.
“I’ve definitely been working towards trying to have one of my most productive years next year, because I think a lot of times—especially in sports—you’re not encouraged to have kids. And the teams that I played for in the past when I got pregnant didn’t like that,” she said. “And so I’m looking forward to being somewhere where my family and I are supported and welcomed.”
Some pointed out the Connecticut Sun as a possible landing spot, while others said she should join an already stacked New York Liberty squad that recently made the WNBA Finals. That got Diggins-Smith’s attention, with her posing the question: “Would I come off the bench?”
But she also made a promise that she wouldn’t do free agency emojis, a la star 2022 free agent Breanna Stewart, who teased her free agency decision with emojis for weeks in the lead up to her signing with New York.
Skylar Diggins-Smith seemed to call out the Phoenix Mercury on social media Sunday after Sandy Brondello led the New York Liberty to the 2023 WNBA Finals in just her second year as head coach.
Brondello, 55, formerly served as head coach of the Phoenix Mercury from 2014 to 2021, leading the team to the WNBA title in 2014 and to the playoffs in every one of her eight seasons. But following the 2021 season, in which the Mercury lost to the Chicago Sky in the Finals, the team opted to move on from Brondello and did not renew her contract.
Since then, the Mercury have struggled, which resulted in the team parting ways with Brondello’s replacement, Vanessa Nygaard, midway through 2023. They also failed to make the WNBA playoffs this season for the first time since 2012.
Brondello, meanwhile, joined the New York Liberty in 2022. One season later, she has led the superteam to its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2002.
“Damn, it’s almost like Sandy is a good coach?” Diggins-Smith wrote on social media.
Damn, it’s almost like Sandy is a good Coach? 🫠
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) October 1, 2023
Diggins-Smith, 33, has been at odds with the Mercury organization since the end of last season. She gave birth to her second daughter this year, and she remained on maternity leave for the entire 2023 season. She’s set to be a free agent this offseason and all signs point to a departure from Phoenix.
Recently, Diggins-Smith said that she wants to feel “supported and welcomed” by her next WNBA team.
Skylar Diggins-Smith wants to be “supported and welcomed” by her next WNBA team.
The impending free agent hinted again at her rift with the Phoenix Mercury in an interview with Edition by Modern Luxury. The 33-year-old guard spent the 2023 season on maternity leave, and she seems set to depart the Mercury in the offseason.
In 2020, Diggins-Smith joined the Mercury via a sign-and-trade deal from the Dallas Wings after spending the 2019 season on maternity leave after the birth of her first child. Ahead of the 2023 season, she gave birth to her second child. Her desire to balance motherhood and her playing career created friction with her teams, she said.
“I’ve definitely been working towards trying to have one of my most productive years next year, because I think a lot of times—especially in sports—you’re not encouraged to have kids. And the teams that I played for in the past when I got pregnant didn’t like that,” she said. “And so I’m looking forward to being somewhere where my family and I are supported and welcomed.”
While she contemplates free agency, she is working her way toward her WNBA comeback. But she also is not pressuring herself.
“I have been trying to give myself grace and not putting that pressure on myself to be ready now,” she said. “I’m just going through flowing through the process. I’ve been feeling really good.”
And she knows she has time to get back into form. The next WNBA season is still more than six months away, so she is taking it “one day at a time” and spending time with her daughters.
“I hate this freaking snapback culture. Nope, I’m not conforming to that,” she said. “I was obviously blessed. I know not everybody has that luxury to take on maternity leave. So I was able to do that and just recover. So I didn’t feel the pressure to have to pop right back up to practice.”
Even still, she has “hated” missing this year as a competitor. But it’s made her eager to return next year.
And when she does return, she’ll be celebrating 10 years in the WNBA. That’s not something many players can say.
“It’s so dope. I wouldn’t even say 10% of women who come into the WNBA are able to sustain that for 10 years,” she said. “So I really am proud of that and I don’t take it for granted.”
Diggins-Smith “can’t wait to get back on the court again,” and she is excited to have her kids watch her play, she told Edition.
“I love for the idea for them to see me pouring into what I’m really passionate about and to see how high I can go,” she said. “You put your work into this craft, you don’t cheat it. It opened doors to me. … I definitely look forward to seeing what my personal best is because I feel like I still have more to give to the game.”
Skylar Diggins-Smith is putting in the work – even if she can’t access the Phoenix Mercury facilities.
Diggins Smith, who is on maternity leave and embroiled in a feud with the franchise, will be a free agent next year. And on Saturday, Bridget Pettis, a former Mercury guard, posted a video of Diggins-Smith to Instagram.
In the video, the guard is seen shooting jumpers, dribbling between her legs and driving into the lane for layups.
Diggins-Smith, a six-time WNBA All-Star, missed the end of the 2022 regular season and the team’s first-round playoff loss to the Las Vegas Aces because of personal reasons.
She then went on maternity leave at the start of this season and, as she revealed in a series of tweets in early August, has not been allowed to use the teams’ practice facilities or access other team resources: massage therapists, chiropractors, chefs, strength and conditioning coaches and nutritionists.
“I’m fine with being distanced,” she wrote on X. “Now I can’t possibly be the villain anymore.”
The Mercury (9-30) have struggled without Diggins-Smith and have the worst record in the league. In their final home game of the season, the Mercury fell to the Las Vegas Aces, 94-73, but Sug Sutton provided a bright spot with a triple-double – the first in league history by a player drafted after the first round.
The team wraps up its regular season Sunday on the road against the Aces.
The Phoenix Mercury’s playoff streak has come to an end, and now it’s time for the franchise to look to the future. The team’s run of 10 consecutive postseason appearances officially ended with a loss to the Dallas Wings on Sunday, though the outcome was expected for much of the season.
Phoenix lost 10 of 12 games to start the season before parting ways with head coach Vanessa Nygaard in late June. They battled injuries, and All-Star Brittney Griner missed several games on mental health leave stemming from her 10-month detainment in Russia last year. Meanwhile, veteran guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, who had a career-best season in 2022-23, has been out on maternity leave.
The cards were stacked against the Mercury from the start, and they couldn’t overcome the bevy of challenges.
Interim head coach Nikki Blue said Sunday that her team would focus on winning their remaining games, despite being out of the playoffs but in the running for the top pick in the draft lottery. She also admitted that the team did not live up to the standard previously set in Phoenix.
After falling to the Atlanta Dream 94-76 on Tuesday, the Mercury have games against Connecticut, Minnesota and Washington before closing their season with two contests against first-place Las Vegas.
“It was a season that was not ideal,” said Blue, who served as an assistant coach before assuming the interim role.
Phoenix has also struggled with off-court issues this season surrounding Diggins-Smith. The six-time WNBA All-Star averaged 19.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Mercury last season after helping them reach the Finals in 2021. But in 2022, Nygaard attempted to downplay rising tensions between her and Diggins-Smith over comments she made around the All-Star Game. And during a game, Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi had to be separated during a heated exchange on the bench.
This year, in early August, Diggins-Smith expressed concerns with how the Mercury have managed her maternity leave. Her comments on social media came in response to a fan who questioned why the Mercury did not wish Diggins-Smith a happy birthday on their social media accounts.
“They’re not gonna acknowledge me this year and it’s OK guys,” Diggins-Smith wrote. “We’re not affiliated unless it’s the checks….per management. I can’t even use the practice facility or any resources.”
Diggins-Smith, who gave birth to her second child earlier this year, later clarified that “resources” includes “massage therapists, chiropractor, chefs, strength and conditioning, and nutritionists.”
Sadly, no…or any massage therapists, chiropractor, chefs, strength and conditioning, nutritionist accessibility, etc… they EVERY other player has access to.
— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) August 3, 2023
However I’m still down 48lbs on my own and I’m feeling great! 💪🏽 https://t.co/rRkJpIxysF
The Notre Dame product will be a free agent in 2024, and the recent events make it hard to envision her re-signing with Phoenix.
Meanwhile, future Hall of Famer Diana Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to reach 10,000 career points this season. She is nearing the end of her career, though she has a year left on her contract with Phoenix and remains tight-lipped about a potential retirement.
Taurasi has been the center of Phoenix’s offense since she was drafted by the franchise in 2004. The 41-year-old is being paid $234,936 this season and next, before becoming a free agent in 2025.
The Mercury need to start looking toward the future, especially if they want to capitalize on Griner’s resurgence. She helped Phoenix to a WNBA title in 2014, and the 32-year-old can serve as a centerpiece for several more seasons if the Mercury surround her with talent.
Phoenix will be one of four teams in the lottery with a chance at earning the rights to the top draft pick in 2024, where they could select Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese or another top college prospect. Despite being at the top of mock draft boards, all four players could come back for a fifth season due to an eligibility rule stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled their freshman seasons.
But before Phoenix turns to the draft, the organization needs to decide if Blue is the coach for the job. The former UCLA player was an assistant coach for four college programs between 2008 and 2022 before joining the Mercury staff last season.
“I hope that they’ve seen the transition that our team has made in the time that I’ve been head coach,” Blue told reporters on Sunday. “Once we get a full roster, I would like to see what we can do with that.”
Phoenix has gone 7-16 since Blue took over.
Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.