Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, will bring their league to Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena in January.
The back-to-back games featuring four clubs will be held Jan. 30, with Xfinity as one of the presenting sponsors. It will be the first pro women’s basketball games in Philadelphia since 1998. The organization marked the announcement at Love Park on Thursday.
Philadelphia will be the league’s first tour stop for the league in its second season. It’s a bit of a test run for WNBA expansion into Philadelphia, which will begin in the 2030 season.
“The energy and dedication of everyone who helped bring this tour stop to life, combined with the passion of Philadelphia’s sports fans, made the city the perfect stage for Unrivaled,” Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said in a press release. “We’re incredibly grateful for the support from Mayor Parker, The Philly Sisters, Xfinity, Xfinity Mobile Arena, and the community as a whole, and we look forward to playing in front of the city’s eager women’s basketball fans at a famed arena known for its electric fan experience.”
Conceived as a player-driven alternative to players who used to play professionally overseas during the WNBA off-season, the league started last year, playing in Medley, Fla. It began as a six-team league, with plans this year to expand to eight squads. Each roster has six players on it.
Among the participants in the league’s first season were Broomall native Natasha Cloud and Philly native Kahleah Copper, along with a number of the WNBA’s biggest stars, like the founders, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Cloud and Copper have been announced among 41 players included in the 2026 season, a group that includes Paige Bueckers and Villanova grad Maddy Siegrist.
Unrivaled cited the efforts of comedian and investor Wanda Sykes, through the Philadelphia Sisters, as well as Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker as instrumental in the process of getting the game there.
“Philadelphia is the city of firsts, so it makes perfect sense that the Unrivaled League picked our historical city, with unmatched sports enthusiasts, as its first tour stop,” Parker said. “We’re excited to kick off our 2026 celebrations by first welcoming this league of women that continues to blaze trails of progress in sports, as well as investments off the court.”
“On behalf of The Philly Sisters, we are thrilled to help bring women’s professional basketball to the city we love and call home,” Sykes said. “Advancing women’s pro sports in Philly has been a goal we’ve passionately pursued for years, and this initiative represents the perfect alignment of purpose and passion. Unrivaled, this groundbreaking league, is set to elevate the women’s basketball ecosystem as a whole, and we are honored that Philly has been chosen as its first-ever tour stop.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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