Unrivaled Season 2 is kicking off today, bringing a return to the three-on-three action in Miami, Fla.
We’ve kept you in the know all offseason about what to expect for Unrivaled’s sophomore campaign, and now, it’s time for the players to take the court as the league gets ready to crown its second champion.
Will the Rose be able to repeat? Can the Laces shake away the injuries that derailed them last year? Will the two brand new teams (Breeze BC and Hive BC) be able to show that they belong?
Let’s answer these questions and more with a full team-by-team breakdown ahead of the action.
Breeze BC
Head Coach: Noelle Quinn
Who’s Returning: N/A
Who’s New: Paige Bueckers (Captain), Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Aari McDonald, Dominique Malonga, Kate Martin
What the Coach is Saying: On adjusting to the 3-on-3 style of play and coaching:
“This is a little bit of a different format, so it’s new for me as well. There’s going to be a learning curve and kind of understanding how I want to approach the teaching aspect, but at the end of the day, it’s still a hoop, and I think these young athletes, they’re youthful, but they’re very talented. They’ve all spent a year-plus now playing in the [WNBA] and playing against the players who they will be playing against this year in Unrivaled.”
What the Players are Saying: “I’m excited for the format. I want to push the pace and play fast. It follows my skillset. Offensively, you’re putting your defender on an island. I’m excited to just dig deep in my bag and get these dubs.” – Aari McDonald.
Speaking of Unrivaled, here is a final media day look. I spoke to Aari McDonald about her game for the format and being able to showcase it on a bigger stage.
#Unrivaled I #WBB I @winsidr.com
— Pitch Mr. Perfect (@michaelwaterloo.bsky.social) 18 December 2025 at 12:03
What to Watch for: It’s a brand new team, but Breeze BC has been the talk of Unrivaled since the rosters were announced. They are filled with big names and young names, attracting fans to them immediately. Breeze BC sold out of all jerseys as soon as they went on sale. Breeze BC is young, but it can compete right away. Being able to have Bueckers utilize both Malonga and Brink in the pick-and-roll is going to be must-watch TV. It’ll take some adjusting, but they can make a playoff push if it all clicks.
Hive BC
Head Coach: Rena Wakama
Who’s Returning: N/A
Who’s New: Sonia Citron (Captain), Monique Billings, Kelsey Mitchell, Saniya Rivers, Natisha Hiedeman, Ezi Magbegor
What the Coach is Saying: On the identity she’s looking to establish her club:
“I want to get up and down. I want to be disruptive defensively. I purposely drafted players that buy in on both ends of the floor, so I’m looking forward to playing an up-tempo pace, disruptive defensive system, and obviously scoring a lot of baskets, too. So, looking for a great year.”
What the Players are Saying: “A personal goal for me is to embrace everything. I’ve never played three-on-three, let alone full court. It’s a new team. I’m surrounded by amazing players, so I’m looking to grow as a player and a person.” – Sonia Citron.
What to Watch for: Hive BC is the other new team this year, and while they aren’t as young as Breeze BC with Billings and Mitchell serving as the vets, they do have Citron and Rivers as the young faces of the program. It’ll be interesting to see how Wakama manages her rotations, assuming that Mitchell, Magbegor, and Citron are the starters. Rivers and Hiedeman will be able to operate in the open floor, but will there be enough three-point shooting when Citron and Mitchell are off the court?
Laces BC
Head Coach: Andrew Wade
Who’s Returning: Jackie Young (Captain), Alyssa Thomas
Who’s New: Naz Hillmon, Brittney Sykes, Jordin Canada, Maddy Siegrist
What the Coach is Saying: On the aspects of their games that players can work on through 3-on-3:
“The 3-on-3 format is so different from 5-on-5, and we can talk about the lack of help defenders and all that kind of stuff, and what I saw the most was just the ability to attack closeouts, and offensively, getting downhill, make reads one-on-one. And then defensively, just guarding the ball, it’s such an underrated skill. You know, you watch any league…Euro League, WNBA, G-League…it makes for a really entertaining league at Unrivaled, because you get a ton of that. And I just think that’s where you see the biggest leaps in players’ games, is their off-the-bounce creation, their ability to just recognize closeouts on the fly.”
What the Players are Saying: “I was talking to a friend about this. How big 2025 was for me. If I could use one word, it would be grateful. Nothing that I have comes from just me. My friends, family, and support system. So grateful to have so many people rooting for me. I’m grateful to share those moments with those people. It’s been so much fun. I’m so grateful for the opportunities and the people that I’ve been around.” – Naz Hillmon.
I asked Naz Hillmon during #Unrivaled media day to sum up her 2025 using one word. It’s a year where she won a gold medal, the Season 1 Unrivaled title, and the #WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award.
Here’s what she said.
@winsidr.com
— Pitch Mr. Perfect (@michaelwaterloo.bsky.social) 17 December 2025 at 10:42
What to Watch for: Laces looked like every part of a contender in the inaugural Unrivaled season. But injuries took their toll, with Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young both missing big chunks of time. Their availability is the best ability for the Laces, as they look to cement themselves as one of the favorites to take home the crown. Having Thomas and Canada facilitate with their respective abilities to get into the paint and kick it out to knockdown three-point shooters in Siegrist, Hillmon, and Young is going to be big for the spacing that Wade wants for his team.
Lunar Owls BC
Head Coach: DJ Sackman
Who’s Returning: Napheesa Collier (Captain), Skylar Diggins
Who’s New: Aaliyah Edwards, Temi Fágbénlé, Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham, Rebecca Allen
What the Coach is Saying: On the additions of Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham, and Rebecca Allen to the Lunar Owls squad:
“I love the fact that Marina can also play the point at times. So, we can keep her on the floor as a combo, and when Skylar [Diggins] is off the floor as well. So that’s really good. I love Rachel and Rebecca’s ability to shoot the basketball. As I mentioned, you’re going to get open shots in this game. This is just the style of the game that it is, especially when you have to place your energy on the best players in the league, in my opinion. So, the energy has to be there. You have to be one or two steps off, which is really difficult to do on an Allen , a Banham, or a Mabrey.”
What the Players are Expecting: “My prep was different. I didn’t know how to prepare for the first season, but now I know what to expect. Some of those nuances, you feel like an upperclassman in a way, with knowing the lay of the land. I was able to incorporate what I learned last year to my preparation this year.” – Skylar Diggins.
What to Watch for: Lunar Owls received some tough news on January 1 when they learned they willbe without the co-founder of the league and their team captain, Napheesa Collier, for the season. Collier is getting ankle surgery on both of her ankles, and her recovery time is expected to be four to six months. It’s a blow to the Lunar Owls, who were the top team in the league last year before being upset in the playoffs. Now, it’ll be Diggins as the key returning piece of last year’s team. Banham, Allen, and Mabrey all offer the outside shooting that Sackman is looking for, but it’s going to be hard for the Lunar Owls to overcome the injury to Phee.
Mist BC
Head Coach: Zach O’Brien
Who’s Returning: Breanna Stewart (Captain)
Who’s New: Arike Ogunbowale, Veronica Burton, Allisha Gray, Alanna Smith, Li Yueru
What the Coach is Saying: On his approach to drafting the 2026 Mist BC squad:
“It was a very thoughtful process on our end as a staff, trying to figure out who we wanted to run. We knew we had [Breanna Stewart], which is an easy foundation. You can kind of plug around her as you want or in any way that you want, and I think Allisha Gray is no different. So, just a really great start for us. And honestly, while I do think all of our players are going to be very successful in this format, and some have already, this is a team I would take into a 5-on-5 game.”
What the Players are Saying: “I think it’s great that Li and I are on the same team. We were together all summer. For me, personally, I also played with Veronica and Allisha in Dallas, so it’s like a little Dallas reunion. I’m super excited to play with Stewie. She’s one of the most dominant players to ever play. Alanna Smith is super consistent and a great player.” – Arike Ogunbowale.
What to Watch for: The Mist was a huge disappointment last year. There’s no other way to say it. But with Stewie saying that she’s feeling healthy after not having a long playoff run, as well as adding elite talent around them in Gray, Burton, Ogunbowale, and Smith, they are a sneaky team to make a run this year as a playoff team.
Phantom BC
Head Coach: Roneeka Hodges
Who’s Returning: Satou Sabally, Natasha Cloud
Who’s New: Kelsey Plum (Captain), Aliyah Boston, Tiffany Hayes, Kiki Iriafen, Dana Evans
What the Coach is Saying: “The emphasis for us as a team, as Phantom, is to push the pace to play an up-tempo pace. I think you see a lot of the successful teams in Unrivaled and in three-on-three play with a good pace, and also have the understanding of when to slow the game down. I think both Kelsey and Dana have good quality experience to know when to push and when to slow down and play in the half-court.”
Yesterday, we spoke to Roneeka Hodges, head coach of Phantom for @unrivaledwbb.bsky.social. I asked coach about pushing the pace with Dana Evans & Kelsey Plum on the same team, as well as the mismatch advantage that Satou Sabally provides for them.
Here’s what she said.
#Unrivaled I @winsidr.com
— Pitch Mr. Perfect (@michaelwaterloo.bsky.social) 26 November 2025 at 09:21
What the Players are Saying: “I just want to get better. Playing with my teammates, seeing their habits, and what they do. I’m still a rookie, so I’m still taking time to see what it takes to be the best of the best.” – Kiki Iriafen
What to Watch for: Like Lunar Owls, Phantom were dealt a huge blow when it was announced that Satou Sabally is still dealing with the effects of the concussion that she suffered in the WNBA Finals. The Phantom added Hayes as a replacement player early on before Training Camp. Without Sabally, who Hodges, if you watch the video above, was counting on as a three-level scorer and impact player on both sides of the ball, the Phantom are going to be challenged against other bigs. Boston and Iriafen can hold their own down low, but in an open court, when they are forced to come out and play on the perimeter, it could be a challenge for them to handle the assignment as the team is built around a ton of smaller guards.
Rose BC
Head Coach: Nola Henry
Who’s Returning: Kahleah Copper (Captain), Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, Azurá Stevens
Who’s New: Shakira Austin, Sug Sutton
What the Coach is Saying: On one aspect of her Rose BC squad in 2025 she would like to carry into 2026:
“I think just the way that we embody the team. I loved being a part of a team where it was the epitome of what a team is, where everybody is chasing a common goal, and no one person is bigger than what that goal is. And just to see six players really buy into something and do what it takes every day to achieve that. So, I think more than anything, what I hope to get back from obviously having four returners is that continuity in their family, their familiarity in that core belief that they had in each other, and really even take it to another level because now you have one season under your belt. Now the relationships grow even more the way that they really locked in together in that locker room and they were really close. I’m sure you guys can just tell from watching. And so, I’m just excited to see how that manifests again and how it materializes again.”
What the Players are Saying: “I just want to go out and compete. Obviously, we won last year, so we want to do that again. I want to come out with the same focus that I had in Unrivaled last year. I know more of what to expect, so I’m just excited to get back onto the court.” – Azurá Stevens.
What to Watch for: Rose won it all last year, and the rest of the league just said, “Let’s go ahead and let them return their same roster.” The Rose have four players returning from last year’s championship team, and they have to be considered the favorites out of the gate given that they have that familiarity and the injuries to other teams. Sutton and Austin are both big pieces for this squad. Austin showed last year in Unrivaled that she can defend on the perimeter and keep the opposition honest by stretching her game, so being able to have her and Stevens as alternating bigs to space the floor is a huge win for Henry and the Rose.
Vinyl BC
Head Coach: Teresa Weatherspoon
Who’s Returning: Dearica Hamby (Captain), Rhyne Howard, Rae Burrell
Who’s New: Brittney Griner, Courtney Williams, Erica Wheeler
What the Coach is Saying: On the Vinyl’s strengths on the defensive end:
“That’s going to be the most important thing for us, to be an incredible defensive team because in this league, that’s of value, to be an incredible defensive team, a team that’s together, a cohesive basketball team defensively. We know what we’re going to be able to do on the offensive side of the ball. We feel like we got everything we need there, but we need to be on point and consistent every night defensively.”
What the Players are Saying: “I think any form of three-on-three will challenge you mentally. Because of how fast it is, how quick it is, how intense it is. I was talking earlier about the format of the regular season here to the playoffs. There’s no difference. It’s just the stakes, and that’s it. That’s the only difference.” – Rhyne Howard
What to Watch for: As Wheeler said during her media session, the Vinyl doesn’t have any rookies. They are comprised of vets who “know their jobs.” And that’s what Weatherspoon is going to expect from them – especially defensively. Williams and Wheeler are going to be able to run point for this Vinyl team and act as the lead facilitators, but don’t discount Howard’s playmaking ability. With Howard, Hamby, and Williams as the likely starters, they’ll supply the defense that Vinyl wants to play with. A key to success will be for Vinyl to do its best to make up for the lack of lateral defensive ability that Griner has at this stage in her career, as it was exploited last year in Unrivaled. She’ll need to play drop coverage, so it’ll be up to the other two players on the court with her during her minutes to cover for her as much as possible.
