Unrivaled, Co-Founded By Napheesa Collier, Jumps To $650M Valuation After Recent Fundraise – AfroTech
Unrivaled’s Series C fundraise has surpassed its initial $100 million target and is now oversubscribed, valuing the league at $650 million.
Inner Circle Sports represented Unrivaled in the fundraise, which Ten Pillars Sports Fund led (backed by UC Investments), according to a news release shared with AFROTECH™. The Series C round includes investments from several notable names, including Carmelo Anthony and Trae Young.
“This raise reflects the confidence investors have in what we set out to build at Unrivaled: a league where the best players in the world have a real stake in the value they create,” Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart said in the release. “Moving forward, this investment gives us even more resources to support our players, elevate the experience for fans, and grow a league that is shaping the future of women’s basketball.”
What Is Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League?
Stewart and fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier founded Unrivaled in 2023, building the 3-on-3 league around a player-first model that gives athletes a meaningful stake in the league’s success, according to the news release. In addition to competitive salaries and benefits, participating players have access to equity opportunities. Since the league’s launch, the value of its player equity pool has grown by more than 550% to nearly $200 million.
Series C funding adds to Unrivaled’s growing track record of investor support. The league raised $28 million in a Series A round in 2024, followed by an oversubscribed Series B round in 2025 that lifted its valuation to $340 million, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Its investor roster includes Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures, Warner Bros. Discovery, Stephen Curry, Coco Gauff, Dawn Staley, Billie Jean King, and JuJu Watkins, to name a few.
Collier emphasized that the league has remained focused on raising expectations for both players and fans of women’s basketball.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to raise the standard for what players and fans should expect from women’s basketball,” Collier said following the Series C announcement. “This investment allows Unrivaled to keep pushing that standard higher, creating the best possible environment for players to compete and thrive, while making the experience bigger and better for the fans who continue to show up for women’s basketball.”
Unrivaled’s Series C Builds On Record-Setting Growth
The latest fundraise follows a strong second season for Unrivaled. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Unrivaled tipped off its second season on Jan. 5, 2026, bringing together a roster of high-profile players including Kelsey Mitchell, Erica Wheeler, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, Paige Bueckers, and Chelsea Gray.
During the 2026 season, Unrivaled sold 249% more tickets than in its inaugural season and generated $45 million in revenue. Ticket revenue climbed 204% year over year, while the league reached more than 1.2 billion fans across digital platforms including Instagram, X, and Facebook.
The league recorded major attendance records, playing in front of sold-out crowds at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, AFROTECH™ noted.
The eight-team, 3-on-3 league played 56 regular-season games before heading into the Unrivaled Playoffs on Feb. 28. The season concluded with the Unrivaled Championship on March 4, which ranked as the league’s third-most-watched broadcast with 314,000 viewers on TNT.
“We’re really proud of the success that we’ve had from year one to year two … We’re proud of the product that we’ve been able to create,” Stewart said following the championship, according to USA Today. “Know that we just want to continue to build a space that’s growing and evolving for women’s professional basketball players.”
With season three set to tip off in January 2027, Unrivaled’s continued growth, rising valuation, and expanding investor roster signal that the league is carrying significant momentum into its next chapter.
