Julia StumbaughJanuary 18, 2025
Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
It sounds like Kevin Durant took advantage of the Phoenix Suns’ day off to watch Unrivaled’s first night of competition.
Durant wrote Friday on X that he loves “the concept” of the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league.
Kevin Durant @KDTrey5
I love the concept of <a href=”https://twitter.com/Unrivaledwbb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Unrivaledwbb</a>…it’s great see our pros hoopin on tv during the winter months…
Unrivaled kicked off its inaugural season with a Friday night doubleheader, starting with an opening game that pitched Napheesa Collier and the Lunar Owls against Jewell Loyd and the Mist.
Later on Friday night, Angel Reese and the Rose took on Arike Ogunbowale, Aliyah Boston and the Vinyl.
The league was founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart, so it was only fitting that the New York Liberty star opened Friday night’s action with the first basket in league history.
Ben Pickman @benpickman
Breanna Stewart scored the first basket in Unrivaled history <a href=”https://t.co/0SPKQzNVc3″>pic.twitter.com/0SPKQzNVc3</a>
Unrivaled features 36 WNBA players competing on six teams. The league’s inaugural season runs until March 17.
The games take place on a court 22 feet shorter and slightly more narrow than the standard WNBA court, according to the Associated Press.
The size of the court in addition to the shot clock, which ticks off 18 seconds rather than the WNBA’s standard 24, could up the pace of the game.
The games will be decided in an untimed fourth quarter, during which the goal is to be the first team to total 11 points more than the score of the leading team at the end of the third.
Unrivaled is additionally hosting a 1-on-1 tournament in February, the winner of which will receive $250,000.
The 3-on-3 league could help the WNBA build on the record viewership it drew in last season by attracting more viewers ahead of the start of the 2025 season in May.
Durant and the Suns meanwhile return to action Saturday afternoon with a day game against the Detroit Pistons.
The Suns will hit the halfway mark of the 2024-25 NBA season this weekend. Phoenix heads into the split ranked 10th in the West with a 20-20 record.
