WNBA players who feature in Unrivaled are set for another payday.
This is after the Women’s National Basketball Player Association (WNBPA) signed a deal with the new league that hugely impacts the financial landscape around the WNBA.
When Urivaled was created, there was no partnership with the WNBPA, something that limited the financial benefits for players as it impacted licenses and player rights.
However, after a successful first season, that status has changed as the WNBPA and Unrivaled have signed a deal which includes OneTeam Partners to expand the economic partnership between them.
The deal is hugely significant in the context of women’s basketball as it provides another league – that is not the WNBA – the opportunity to cash in on some of basketball’s biggest stars.
The breakdown of the new agreement sees the WNBPA give long-term sponsorship and licensing rights to Unrivaled and in return the WNBPA gets financial compensation.
Such licenses include trading cards, kits and memorabilia rights, enabling players like Angel Reese to earn another stream of revenue when her name is used on such items.
Other stars like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson will miss out on the opportunity to earn this extra income as they opted not to play in Unrivaled — although this could change if they play in future editions
“Partnering with the WNBPA and OneTeam is a game-changing opportunity that greatly benefits our extraordinary fans and players,” Unrivaled commissioner Mickey Lawler said Thursday.
“Working hand-in-hand will allow us to continue to build on the tremendous support we have experienced in Unrivaled’s inaugural season.”
Since collectibles and merchandise have been a huge source of revenue for the WNBA, this will raise concerns for officials at the league.
Merchandise sales saw a 500 percent increase in sales since the start of the 2024 regular season, including a 1,000 percent increase in jersey and t-shirt sales.
While the WNBA has generally supported Unrivaled, this new partnership provides an economic benefit to every single WNBA player directly through the union and not the league.
The WNBA recorded $200 million in revenue in 2024, a number that will increase as the league grows, but could be impacted if their own players are being marketed by a different league.
The WNBPA are currently in their own set of talks with the WNBA after they opted out of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in October.
The decision came after the old CBA became outdated as women’s basketball had grown to the extent where the current deal didn’t fairly reflect the value of players.
“With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said back in October.
The WNBA will look to quickly strike a deal with the union as right now the association is busy making historic deals without them.
