• Loading stock data...
Friday, August 29, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Get your ticket now!

Unrivaled Adds Sabrina Ionescu As More Salary Details Emerge

The average salary will reportedly be north of $200,000, and it apparently took much more than that to lure the Liberty star.

Sabrina Ionescu
The Record

Sabrina Ionescu will join Unrivaled for its inaugural season, the league announced Monday.

The WNBA champion fills the final 36th spot on the league’s roster spot, meaning months of creative social-media hints across Unrivaled’s social channels have come to an end. (Not all 36 players will be active; Cameron Brink is on a team, but she’s still recovering from an ACL tear and is set to join her team on the court in 2026, along with Paige Bueckers.)

She will join her New York Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart, a league cofounder with Napheesa Collier, in Miami this winter. The season begins Jan. 17.

Ionescu’s Unrivaled deal is significantly higher than what other players signed to play in the league, ESPN reported. The 3-on-3 league would not say how much Ionescu will be paid, but it was prepared to offer Caitlin Clark seven figures—more than the six-figure deals other players reportedly signed. All players receive equity in the league alongside their salary.

The league recently announced $35 million in total funding, and between that and a multiyear TNT deal, the players are getting paid. ESPN reported Monday the league’s 36 players will share an $8 million salary pool, which would make the average salary more than $200,000. That would be on the high end of the WNBA pay scale, for an eight-week season that requires no travel. The WNBA season typically takes place from May to October. (Both leagues give players free housing.) The Liberty pay Ionescu $205,030 per year, which makes her the league’s 14th-highest-paid player.

Unrivaled drafted players onto its six basketball clubs in November, with a small number of wild-card spots remaining. Ionescu joins Phantom BC, whose players include Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally (Ionescu’s former Oregon teammate), and Katie Lou Samuelson. The team will be coached by Adam Harrington, a former NBA player and coach who most recently served as a Nets assistant from 2016 to 2022.

Ionescu is one of the most popular players in the WNBA, and her addition immediately raises the profile of the league. She has one of the most-worn shoes in the NBA this season, according to Nick DePaula. She’s also a big ratings boost: NBA All-Star Saturday night viewership reached its highest level in four years in 2024, peaking with 5.4 million viewers during the three-point competition between Ionescu and Stephen Curry.

For a league that couldn’t land Clark and lost Kelsey Plum, Ionescu is a great addition for a fan favorite point guard. And the pickup is music to TNT Sports’ ears after the broadcaster both signed a media deal with and invested in the new league.

Ionescu had a poor showing in the end  of the WNBA Finals, and it was later revealed she had played through a high-grade UCL tear on her shooting hand that she sustained in Game 4. Ionescu had surgery on her thumb Dec. 6 and was expected to be out for about four weeks, putting her return just before the start of Unrivaled’s season.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dallas Wings

WNBA Teams Desperate to Expand Rosters Amid ‘Extreme Hardship’ 

The Wings are scrambling to field eight players Friday night.
Candace Parker

Candace Parker Not a WNBA Owner Yet, But Her Business is Booming

Her WNBA peers say she made the blueprint for earning off the court.
Breanna Stewart

Breanna Stewart’s Injury Meant Rare Presence at WNBA CBA Talks

Stewart “makes the league sit up straight,” the union director told FOS.
May 24, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban celebrates after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in game two of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center.

Mark Cuban on Why NBA Expansion Isn’t Imminent

Cuban said the next CBA could help solve some expansion issues.

Featured Today

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.

Who Are the Richest MLB Owners?

MLB owners are among the wealthiest people in the U.S.
Aug 24, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on from the bench against the Minnesota Lynx in the second half at Target Center.
August 27, 2025

Caitlin Clark Still Out With 2 Weeks Left in WNBA Season

The WNBA regular season ends Sept. 11.
August 28, 2025

Selig Backs MLB Salary Cap, but Warns Against Labor Fight

The league’s former commissioner cites salary-cap success in other leagues.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
August 27, 2025

Keegan Bradley Declines Rare Ryder Cup Playing Captain Role

Bradley did not choose himself with one of his six captain’s picks.
August 26, 2025

NFL Roster Cut Deadline Passes After Backup QB Carousel

Several high-profile backups were traded or signed with new teams.
August 26, 2025

MLB Unveils 2026 Schedule As Big Changes Loom Soon After

Next year’s slate could be among the last in the current format.
August 26, 2025

Masters, Open Championship Offer New Paths for Qualifying in 2026

Winner of select national opens will now earn invitations.