"They chose not to do that" - Napheesa Collier's husband Alex Bazzell spills the truth on WNBA declining partnership with Unrivaled

Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier's husband Alex Bazzell opens up about WNBA declining partnership with Unrivaled. (Photo: GETTY)

Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded Unrivaled in 2023, and the league had a successful first season earlier this year. However, the WNBA declined a partnership with the 3-on-3 league. Collier's husband and Unrivaled CEO, Alex Bazzell, opened up about his efforts in speaking to the WNBA.

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Speaking to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, Bazzell shared the success of Unrivaled's series B investment that increased the league's value to $340 million. No NBA or WNBA owner was part of this round's investment, prompting Bazzell to give more details about his discussion with the WNBA.

"We went to the WNBA early," Bazzell said. "Number one, told them about it and were certainly open to a partnership in terms of equity and ownership. It's really, to draw the comparison, like what's gone on between the TGL and PGA. That's how we looked at it and approached it.
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He added:

"We would be the majority investors in control, but they still have upside and skin in the game with women’s basketball year-round. They chose not to do that."
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There were plenty of new investors in Unrivaled, including NBA stars Trae Young, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Other athletes, such as Serena Williams and Alex Morgan, also invested through their companies, Serena Ventures and Trybe Ventures, respectively.

Warner Bros. Discovery added to its previous investment, while the biggest one came from Bessemer Venture Partners. Bessemer is one of the biggest tech funds in the world, being the third-largest venture capital firm based on their five-year investments.

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Unrivaled to announce a new city for next season

During their inaugural season in January, Unrivaled held its games at the Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida. Alex Bazzell told Front Office Sports that the league is planning to add another city for next season, though the CEO was adamant that they are not going to be traveling across the country.

Bazzell highlighted four potential cities where teams are going to play a back-to-back weekend slate of games. One of the reasons for adding a new city and venue is due to the limited capacity of the Wayfair Arena, which only allows 850 people.

Despite the attendance numbers, Bazzell projects to have increased salaries for players next season. They have already signed 90% of their players from last season and are looking to add more players for the developmental pool. Injuries were a major problem for them, and adding more bodies gives them a sense of security.

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Edited by Juan Paolo David
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