Unrivaled schedule release: Tastiest matchups, biggest rivalry games

Here are some of the most exciting things to look forward to after going through the Unrivaled rosters.

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Let’s start with the combos:

The Vinyl: Arike Ogunbowale, Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston, Jordin Canada, Rae Burrell, Dearica Hamby.

The first thing that comes to mind with this roster is the LA Sparks connected between Burrell and Hamby. Canada also previously played for the Sparks prior to the 2024 season. There are also back to back no.1 WNBA Draft picks with Rhyne Howard (2022) and Aliyah Boston (2023), and it’s unusual to see consecutive top picks play together (unless you’re the Aces). Hamby had a great season with the Sparks, but possibly more importantly – won a bronze medal at the Olympics in 3×3 basketball for Team USA. Her impact on this roster will be huge.

The Rose: Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Angel Reese, Brittney Sykes, Lexie Hull, Azura Stevens

Talk about a POWER team. Gray is arguably the best point guard in the WNBA, Copper is also a Finals MVP and a top 10 player in the WNBA. Angel Reese was making a decent case for Rookie of the Year for a stretch of the WNBA season, and has the skill set to succeed in 3×3. Lexie Hull is a defensive powerhouse and a sharp shooter. Then you have Sykes and Stevens – two long-time mainstays in the WNBA. The speed, shooting power, and defence on this team is off the charts.

The Mist: Jewell Loyd, DiJonai Carrington, Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot, Rickea Jackson, Aaliyah Edwards

LOYD AND STEWIE REUNITE. If you watched the Seattle Storm between 2016 and 2022, you understand the excitement. This is big. Loyd and Stewart won two championships together in Seattle, and have amazing chemistry. Then you have the Stewie – Vandersloot connection, seeing as the pair just won a WNBA championship together. With Carrington, we haven’t seen her paired with any of these players, which makes this team SO exciting. Carrington is a hustle player, and 3×3 is a fast game. It will be very fun to see her combine her talents with players like Loyd and Stewart. Then you have the young duo of Edwards and Jackson, who have played AGAINST each other quite a lot in the classic rivalry of UConn vs Tennessee. Two of the best rookies to come out of the 2024 season, they will benefit SO much from playing with Stewart. There’s also the fun UConn connection of Edwards and Stewart.

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The Lunar Owls: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Napheesa Collier, Natasha Cloud, Shakira Austin, Wildcard

This team is one of two teams that only have five players, currently. Yet, there is still a ton to look forward to! Shakira Austin is such a talent, and we haven’t been able to see her play a full season at her full potential in the WNBA due to injury. This chance to play 3×3, AND play with someone like Collier, is a fun concept. Then you have two powerful guards in SDS and Cloud, who bring passing and facilitation as well as shooting to the mix. Gray is an elite passer and almost a dark horse sometimes in the WNBA landscape, not getting the hype she deserves.

The Phantom: Jackie Young, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Tiffany Hayes, Brittney Griner, Wildcard

Another team with only five players, but lots of excitement. Having a 6’9 player like Griner in 3×3 is thrilling because of the floor spacing the game allows. Mabrey and Sabally used to be teammates on the Wings as well. Young and Hayes currently ARE teammates on the Las Vegas Aces. Young and Griner were teammates on the Team USA Olympic 5×5 team. There are just so many layers of combos here, yet looking at the collective group is just as exciting. Even without the sixth member, this team is packed with talent.

The Laces: Kelsey Plum, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Williams, Kate Martin, Stef Dolson

What happens when you take five of the WNBA’s most thrilling and accomplished players and pair them with the America’s Sweetheart of rookies? The Laces. Kesley Plum and Kayla McBride are COLD shooters. Alyssa Thomas is the triple-double queen. Courtney Williams is a hustle player through and through, and Stef Dolson is a champion on every level – college, WNBA, and Olympics (as a 3×3 player on top of that). McBride and Williams are teammates on an endearing Lynx team. Mix all of that experience with a young and passionate Kate Martin who is SURE to soak in everything her teammates say and do for her. She has her Aces vet in Plum to lean on, and a lot of wisdom coming her way. It’s exciting to just think about this combo of players FINALLY getting paired all together.

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Okay, now that we’ve dissected just a few of the reasons these teams will be fun to watch, let’s speculate on a few potential rivalries:

Phantom vs Laces: teammates turned enemies?

This match-up provides us with a showdown between WNBA teammates. Kelsey Plum and Kate Martin vs Jackie Young and Tiffany Hayes (Las Vegas Aces), as well as Marina Mabrey vs Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun). Depending on who that wildcard ends up being, there could be more matchups like this.

Teammate rivalries are fun because they have spent so much time together, and know each other’s games intimately. That provides a fun chance to get in your opponent’s head a little, anticipating her next move.

The Mist vs The Lunar Owls: Battle of the MVPs

Even missing the final player of the Lunar Owls, these teams are packed with talent. MVP-caliber talent includes Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith. There are also some very exciting young players thrown into this mix. Regardless, we know that the league’s founders, Stewart and Collier, provide drama when they play — see the 2024 WNBA Finals for the most obvious example.

The Vinyl vs the Rose: Winter is Coming

Think about the coldest shooters in women’s basketball. If you were to compile a list, surely Ogunbowale and Gray would be pretty high on it. Then you have Howard, Hull, and Copper. Games between these teams could turn into epi three-point shooting contests. The match up between the young bigs in Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese is intriguing as well.

Every storyline here and more will begin Jan. 17, 2025. Unrivaled games can be viewed on TNT Sports and TruTV, with every replay available on MAX.