Mercury's Brittney Griner the latest WNBA star to join Unrivaled League
10/02/2024 12:32 PM
Brittney Griner is the newest star to sign on with the upcoming Unrivaled basketball league, an exciting 3-on-3 format spearheaded by WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. Griner, a centerpiece for the Phoenix Mercury and a pivotal figure in the WNBA, joins a roster that already includes some of the league's top talents. The league made the announcement Wednesday on social media.
Griner's decision to join Unrivaled is significant, taking into account her harrowing detainment in Russia in 2022. The 6-foot-9 center has openly expressed her desire never to play overseas again unless it is with Team USA. With Unrivaled set to run during the WNBA offseason, it offers Griner an alternative, allowing her to compete domestically without the need to travel internationally.
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The Unrivaled League is set to debut in January, offering players unprecedented compensation. Players will earn six-figure salaries, the highest average ever for a women's professional sports league, and will also hold equity stakes in the league, a major move toward empowering athletes financially. Both Stewart and Collier have emphasized that it is about more than just basketball; Unrivaled is about building wealth and stability for its players.
“It’s really important to us,” Collier said in an interview when the league was first announced. “Compensation is a huge part of Unrivaled as a league and a business. All the players in this first year will have equity in the league. For players to have a piece of the pie essentially to grow their generational wealth is something we're really excited about."
Brittney Griner joins star-studded Unrivaled League roster
Griner, along with other WNBA stars, will take part in an eight-week season featuring 30 players across six teams. The games will be played on a modified court, two-thirds the size of a standard WNBA floor, allowing for fast-paced, high-intensity play. The league will be based in Miami, where players will be provided with housing and top-tier amenities, including childcare and recovery facilities.
As one of the most prominent names in women's basketball, Griner's participation adds further star power to a league that already boasts marquee names like Stewart, Collier, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson and Skylar Diggins-Smith. For Griner, who has long been a dominant force in the paint, Unrivaled represents a new chapter in her career where she can continue to showcase her skills without the challenges of overseas play.
The league has also attracted a wide array of high-profile investors, including sports legends like Carmelo Anthony, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, as well as media moguls like former ESPN President John Skipper.
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