Unrivaled, Up Next: Rose BC are the league’s first champions

Clad in their championship shirts as well as other shirts the team had made themselves – which depicted a tweet from the Unrivaled preseason ranking Rose sixth and last in the league power rankings — the club accepted their championship. Each player on the team will receive an additional $50,000 in prize money, over half of some of these players’ WNBA salaries, on top of their Unrivaled base salary.

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The “Point Gawd” leads the way

The championship winning shot came down to a free throw, which Sykes took. “Chelsea just gave me words of encouragement, like, ‘Hey, take a breath. Make the free throw. We getting this,'” Sykes told the media after the game about meeting that moment.

Gray was the undeniable leader of this team all season long, getting back to playing her signature style of basketball after struggling with a lingering injury last summer in the WNBA. She told Taylor Rooks at the championship ceremony that she “kept receipts” on who was hating last season, signalling that she was ready to get back to winning ways with the Las Vegas Aces.

“Last year was hard, it was rough,” Gray told reporters. “I even when I came back, I wasn’t 100%. I just put the work in, then I talk after winning. I mean, I don’t talk before. I want to compete and make others better. Honestly, that’s always been my goal, and I was able to do that.”

Another groundbreaking aspect of this championship game was the fact that both teams’ head coaches were Black women. Across from Henry, on Vinyl’s bench, was Teresa Weatherspoon.

“It’s something very special about this group, I’ll never forget the things that they’ve done for me in these 10 weeks. I’ll always tell them, I owe you. I owe you.” Weatherspoon told the media after her team lost in the final game.

Jordin Canada of Vinyl BC got emotional talking about the impact Weatherspoon had on her during the Unrivaled season saying, “She has really spoke life into me. She’s given me the confidence to be who I am, and she just like a breath of fresh air.” Canada continued, “Coming into this, there’s a lot of ups and downs, but she’s consistent in her work, consistent in her energy that she gives each and every one of us, day in and day out.”

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Unrivaled’s Impact

The championship game was also filled with celebrities, from Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, to A’ja Wilson. It was a celebration of how this league has changed the landscape when it comes to offseason women’s basketball, but also investment in women’s sports leagues. What’s unique about Unrivaled — the facilities, daycares, prize money — is actually just the standard treatment.

“I think it’s on us to continue to try to raise the bar with the players, because we’ve laid out proof. So now it’s a matter of doubling down on what we know, continue to put out the best possible product that we can,” said Alex Bazzell, Unrivaled’s President.

Now these players will go back to their WNBA teams — a league that still has a wide gap top to bottom in the way players are treated. Team to team, the facilities that are available to players varies — unlike Unrivaled where every player had access to the same options.

It’s also a testament to the differences in what women’s athletes need and want in these kinds of workplaces. From the obvious things like daycares and a glam room, to the details like nutritionists who specialize in women’s health. You can’t just replicate an NBA or men’s environment, because needs are different. It’s one thing to preach equality — but true fairness comes in equity.

“I think what we’ve done is we’ve built an incredible foundation and baseline,” Bazzell said. “Now it’s our job to [ask] how do we grow that a bit? You know, we’re very proud about where we stand in the women’s sports ecosystem.”

It seems clear Unrivaled is ready to reflect on this season and prepare to put on season two next winter. It likely won’t look the same, but like Bazzell said — Unrivaled has laid the foundation for what offseason women’s basketball can look like.

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The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.