March 11, 2025
Unrivaled, Up Next: The league’s first playoff matchups are set
Courtney Williams: 'It's money on the line, we gotta get after it'
The inaugural season of the Unrivaled basketball league has zoomed by, and it’s now time for the playoffs. Playing a short, single-elimination postseason, four of the league’s six teams will be fighting for the championship. In just a semifinal and then a championship game, teams will have limited opportunity to go for that top spot. Plus, more money is on the line as each member of the championship team will take home an additional $50,000.
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The Lunar Owls were the first team to clinch a playoff berth, having only one loss in the season. Shortly after, both Rose BC and Laces BC were able to officially clinch a spot. The Phantom were the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the postseason.
The final spot and fourth overall seed was determined by the last weekend of play. After the Mist lost to Lunar Owls, they were eliminated from playoff contention and the Vinyl were awarded the final spot. The playoffs start March 15 on TNT Sports.
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Steph Curry invests
Amid the playoff excitement, another Unrivaled announcement was released. Steph Curry, four-time NBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time MVP has invested in Unrivaled.
“I am incredibly proud to be joining the Unrivaled family as the league continues to set a new standard for how women’s professional sports should operate — empowering athletes and ensuring they have a real stake in their own success,” said Curry in a statement. “Unrivaled is not just innovating the way we play basketball, but also how we value and invest in the athletes who drive the game forward.”
Curry joins a list of investors including Alex Morgan and Trybe Ventures, Carmelo Anthony, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Coco Gauff, Michael Phelps, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, The Berman Family, Ann Sarnoff, Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, David Levy, John Skipper, Moira Forbes, Tyus and Tre Jones, Dan Rosensweig and Gary Vaynerchuk.
This latest investment announcement was part of the $35 million that Unrivaled announced before the season started.
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Stewart keeping up vibes until the end
While the excitement of the playoffs grows, the disappointment for teams that did not make it is fresh. Breanna Stewart, one of the league’s founders along with Napheesa Collier, is one of the players who will not participate next weekend. The Mist were unable to secure the playoff spot and their season has ended.
“Overall, this has been a incredible experience, and of course, we want to be in the playoffs — not loving that outcome that we just had,” Stewart said after the Mist’s final game, “but the way that we were able to continue to get to know each other as teammates, is something that I definitely appreciate.”
As the team’s captain and the league’s leader, Stewart made sure that the good vibe lasted until the final buzzer, she explained in her postgame press conference.
The chance to play in this league with experienced players and build those bonds was especially important for the younger players. Aaliyah Edwards, the Canadian Olympian who is headed into her second season with the Washington Mystics this summer, is one of those players. Edwards got the most out of her Unrivaled experience despite not making it to the playoffs, reaching the final of the 1-on-1 tournament.
“I think that to be able to watch her continue to grow and just implement new things into her game and and put it into action on the court here is something really special,” Stewart said of her young teammate Edwards, “and then she’ll take that to D.C. with her, just that kind of mindset and mentality.”
As for Edwards herself, she says she appreciates the relationships she built in Miami the most.
“Especially being one of the youngest players here, just finishing my first season this past summer, I didn’t really get a chance to build those relationships,” she said. “I was just very fortunate to tap into a lot of people.”
Time to lock in for the top teams
Now the Lunar Owls, Rose, Laces and Vinyl will turn their attention to the playoffs, and the Lunar Owls are hoping to continue their winning ways. The team only lost once all season, to the Rose, and they don’t plan on suffering another loss. Especially with money on the line.
“It’s money on the line. I mean, we gonna come in, we gonna get after it and we gonna get this money,” as Courtney Williams of the Lunar Owls said Monday night.
Rose BC may have not got off to the 8-0 start the Lunar Owls did, but they hit their stride mid-season. They did not let that discourage them though, and as head coach Nola Henry said after the game, “that’s just a testament to stay in the course despite things not going your way early.”
Despite losing their Monday night game, Vinyl was able to clinch their spot in the playoffs. Aliyah Boston noted that the key to their success in the championship games will be “everyone being able to shoot from the perimeter. We just got to make sure we’re knocking it down.”
As for the Laces, they have had a season filled with unfortunate injuries, but were still able to make it to the playoffs. Their mantra was a simple “just control the controllables,” says Jackie Young, “and that’s our effort.” Young said that’s what their coach Andrew Wade has been preaching all season, and they will take that into the playoffs.
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Playoff Bracket
@Unrivaledwbb
If you’ve been with us from the start we have come a long way but we aren’t done with this historic season yet! Make sure you lock in with us next Sunday and Monday to see what Club will take home the first ever Unrivaled Championship! 👑 pic.twitter.com/TBIdOFfzkc
The semifinals will be held on March 16, with the Lunar Owls playing the Vinyl and the Rose playing the Laces. It will be single elimination, with the winning teams making it to the Championship Game on March 17.
Correction: an earlier version of this article included the wrong dates for the semifinals and finals.
