Brittney Griner States How Unrivaled Will 'Put Pressure' on WNBA
The Unrivaled Women's Basketball League could not be coming at a better time from a player's perspective.
Not only is it coming on the heels of the biggest and most successful year for the WNBA and all of women's basketball by far, but also before the WNBA's final season of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The next CBA, which will come into play for the 2026 WNBA season (if the Players Association and the league come to terms before then), is expected to include much bigger salaries for players. And Unrivaled guaranteeing six-figure salaries for every player plus the highest salary in women's sports history creates a clear standard that the WNBA could be expected to match.
Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner (who is on Unrivaled's Phanton BC squad) alluded to this when speaking with the media on January 7.
"[Unrivaled] is bringing something new to women's basketball," Griner said, per a January 7 article from ESPN. "They're trying to give us a different look, a different feel. We can bring everybody together in one spot. They're really pouring in a lot. Unrivaled is showing that you don't need a lot of time to pull resources together to be able to put a good product out there.
"Hopefully, it helps the [WNBA] bring in more viewers, more [corporate] partners. It's definitely going to put more pressure on the [WNBA] to do better, honestly," she added.
(Regarding upcoming WNBA CBA negotiations)
— Moreau Sports Media Prod Co. (@MoreauSportsCo) January 7, 2025
"Unrivaled is showing that you don't need a lot of time to pool together a lot of resources together to put a good product out there." - Brittney Griner
"It's definitely going to put pressure on the league to do better."
Big facts!!
Griner's Mercury teammate Kahleah Copper echoed this sentiment by saying, "I think it puts pressure for sure. It's been amazing. I'm grateful they're able to put some pressure on things we deserve and things we are pushing for."
(On upcoming WNBA/CBA negotiations)
— Moreau Sports Media Prod Co. (@MoreauSportsCo) January 7, 2025
"I think it puts pressure for sure. It's been amazing. I'm grateful their able to put some pressure on things we deserve and things we are pushing for."
-Kahleah Copper
New York Liberty standout Courtney Vandersloot added, "It's perfect timing...Unrivaled's ability to put everything we need here. With the CBA being up, we are going to push the envelope and make sure we are being taken care of as elite athletes.
"We know what to expect and what to ask for in the next CBA."
(Regarding WNBA/CBA negotiations)
— Moreau Sports Media Prod Co. (@MoreauSportsCo) January 7, 2025
"It's perfect timing...Unrivaled's ability to put everything we need here. With the CBA being up, we are going to push the envelope and make sure we are being taken care of as elite athletes...We know what to expect and what to ask for in the…
The pressure seems to be on for the WNBA.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.