A new women's basketball league has attracted a star-studded roster of investors from the media and sports world at a time when ratings and general interest in the WNBA and other professional women's leagues is rising.
Unrivaled, the pro women's basketball league founded last year by New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier of the WNBA, said Thursday that it had closed on a seed funding round ahead of its January launch.
Athletes will be given equity in the new league, and Unrivaled said it will also feature contract opportunities that will offer the highest average salary in women's pro sports league history.
Many female athletes play in other countries when the WNBA season ends to boost their earnings potential.
Unrivaled's season will run from January to March and feature 30 of the top women's basketball players across six teams for a 3-on-3, compressed full court style of play on a soundstage in Miami.
Persons:
Napheesa Collier, New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, John Skipper, Turner, David Levy, Ann Sarnoff, Star Carmelo Anthony, Alex Morgan, David, Skipper, Alex Bazzell, Stewart, Collier
Organizations:
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Target, New York, ESPN, Warner Bros, NBA, U.S, soccer, Meadowlark Media, WNBA
Locations:
Minneapolis , Minnesota, New, Minnesota, U.S, Miami