• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

WNBA Champion Missing Season Shows Risks and Kinks of Unrivaled

The groundbreaking league admits it has adjustments to make after its first season.

Laney-Hamilton
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Unrivaled was unprecedented. That also means there are some kinks to be ironed out ahead of year two.

The new player-founded, player-owned domestic 3-on-3 women’s basketball league broke major ground with its average salary of $200,000—near the WNBA max—and several other player amenities a number of WNBA teams have yet to establish. But a major injury is a reminder that much about its inaugural season was experimental.

Monday, the New York Liberty announced their star shooting guard, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, will be out for “five to six months” following surgery for a knee injury she sustained as a relief player in Unrivaled. 

She played in just two games for Laces BC before the league announced she would be out for the remainder of the season. 

Specific terms of Unrivaled’s players’ contracts are not public, unlike the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement. According to multiple sources, relief players’ contracts varied per player. Chicago Sky guard Ariel Atkins, for example, was under contract with Fenerbahçe in Turkey before she joined Unrivaled’s Rose BC in February. She was paid a comparable salary to what remained on her Fenerbahçe contract, one source told Front Office Sports. Laney-Hamilton was not playing overseas before being signed by Unrivaled. 

Unrivaled’s relief player strategy will make still-to-be-determined tweaks in season two, a league source told FOS. In year one, contracts for relief players included but were not limited to compensation, championship bonuses valued at $50,000, accommodations in Miami, full access to player amenities, and medical coverage. The length of relief players’ contracts were contingent upon the needs of the league and player availability. 

Relief players’ contracts in Unrivaled are not unlike those of replacement players in the WNBA. 

In the WNBA, replacement players can be signed when multiple players are unavailable under the league’s hardship exception. Those contracts are valued at 75% of the applicable veteran minimum for the full season, and pay is prorated depending on which point in the season they sign. The replacement players must be waived once whoever they are replacing returns from injury, illness, or other extenuating circumstances. 

The biggest difference between Unrivaled’s relief players and the WNBA’s equivalent might be the pool from which they are choosing them. 

WNBA teams are often signing replacement players who have either previously been with the team in training camp or players who have been waived by another team. They could also sign an overseas player. In all of these scenarios, the players don’t have a lengthy ramp-up period. 

Injuries were a bigger problem for Unrivaled’s inaugural season, with several big names missing time, including guard Marina Mabrey, shooting guard Kahleah Copper, and forward Alyssa Thomas. 

The Liberty will now have to address what to do with Laney-Hamilton’s contract for the upcoming season. She signed a two-year extension with the Liberty at the end of the 2023 WNBA season worth $180,000 in 2024 and $185,400 in 2025, according to HerHoopStats.com. The Liberty could opt to suspend Laney-Hamilton, which would clear her salary from the cap and open up a roster spot while allowing the team to maintain control of her player rights. In this case Laney-Hamilton would not be guaranteed her full salary for the 2025 season. The Liberty would also control her player rights without having to issue a qualifying offer during free agency next year. 

The “five to six months” timetable from the Liberty’s press release puts her right up against the WNBA playoffs. If she can return this season and impact the team in a considerable way as they attempt to repeat as champions, then it wouldn’t be in the Liberty’s best interest to suspend her. The team will have until 5 p.m. on May 15, the evening before the season tips off, to make that decision.  

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jan 17, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Skylar Diggins-Smith (4) of the Lunar Owls drives toward the basket during the first half of the game against the Mist of the Unrivaled women’s professional 3v3 basketball league at Wayfair Arena.

Unrivaled Has Signed Nearly 90% of 2026 Roster, Salaries to Increase

Cofounder Alex Bazzell confirmed the average salary will increase next season.
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks to the media before the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards.
exclusive

Pagliuca Offer to Buy Sun Was Agreed to in July, Never Presented..

The exclusivity window expired, allowing for competing offers including Marc Lasry’s.

March Madness Fields Will Stay Put at 68—at Least Until 2027

NCAA tournament expansion is still on the table for 2027.
May 4, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; The BYU Cougars against the Long Beach State 49ers at St. John Arena

Federal Judge Tells Stephen F. Austin to Reinstate Women’s Sports Teams

Schools may not be able to follow through on threats of cuts.

Featured Today

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty
August 2, 2025

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Apr 2, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Brock Lesnar during Wrestlemania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium.

Lesnar Returns to WWE Months After Being Named in McMahon Suit

It was Lesnar’s first WWE appearance since 2023.
August 4, 2025

NFLPA Names Interim Leader in Aftermath of Scandals Rocking Union

Veteran labor executive David White will be the interim executive director.
Sep 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Sep 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan presents Scottie Scheffler the FedEx Cup after winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament.
August 4, 2025

Scottie Scheffler Tops New FedEx Cup Bonus List With $18M Payday

The PGA Tour’s top 10 players are getting paid after the regular season.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
exclusive
August 4, 2025

MLS Commissioner On Apple TV Deal: Critics ‘Don’t Get It Yet’

“We’re just early,” Garber told FOS when pressed about the deal.
August 3, 2025

MLB’s Speedway Classic Breaks Record Despite Weather Woes

The special-event game is played, but Sunday’s fan turnout is far less.
August 3, 2025

Bristol Rain Pushes MLB’s Ambitious Speedway Game to Sunday

MLB will look to replay the postponed game on Sunday afternoon.
Steve Pagliuca
August 2, 2025

Boston Group Has Deal to Buy Sun For WNBA-Record $325 Million

The league office cautioned that any Boston move was subject to approval.