The newest domestic women’s basketball league tipped off Friday, as Unrivaled staged its first two games outside of Miami. The 3×3 league co-founded by stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart intends to provide WNBA stars an alternative to playing overseas in the offseason. Ten 2024 WNBA All-Stars took the court for Unrivaled’s debut.

’s Ben Pickman attended the opening night of games, while Sabreena Merchant watched the broadcast to share their impressions of women’s basketball’s newest venture.

Ben Pickman: The energy started to crank up in Wayfair Arena around an hour before Unrivaled’s debut as fans started filing into the show court. Coaches and executives from multiple WNBA teams attended, and players from the two teams not participating in Friday night’s debut doubleheader were scattered throughout the crowd. You could tell even before tipoff, just how excited people were to see Unrivaled begin.

Sabreena Merchant: Even watching on television, I got the sense that this was something special. I’m already on board with a half-hour pregame show that explains everything you need to know about Unrivaled. The production value on these pregame segments, hopping between multiple players as they detailed the rules, was impressive, too. As someone who watches a ton of the NBA on TNT, there was really no difference between the broadcasts.

Pickman: The production value in the arena was high as well. Players took part in introductions reminiscent of an All-Star Game. There was a fog machine, blaring music, and they walked out onto a stage at center court as their names and accolades were read aloud.

How did it look on TV?

Merchant: It felt like I was watching a game from the WNBA bubble. There was little indication (sight or sound) that fans were in the building. (In hindsight, the camera angle’s focus on the one side of the court that doesn’t have fans distorted this perception.)

Pickman: Interesting. Because while it was clear that this arena is smaller (announced attendance was a sellout of 870), the cheers felt incredibly normal — in a good way; like I was attending a competitive WNBA game. There was nothing gimmicky about being there, from the actual basketball to the crowd reactions.

Fans were loud when Stewart scored the first basket in league history. They roared when DiJonai Carrington blocked Courtney Williams with just over two minutes to play in the first quarter. I heard some light heckling of the refs, too. Early in the second quarter of the first game, one fan seated near me yelled out, “What? Is this the finals?” Every time Courtney Vandersloot checked in, fans called out “Sloooot” much like they do at Barclays Center. In the second game, Angel Reese’s putbacks received loud ovations or any number of Rhyne Howard’s six 3-pointers.

Merchant: Sideline reporter Allie LaForce took us on a tour through the building (more just walking by doors, and telling us what’s inside all of them). Pretty clear that the marketing for this league is as much about player experience as it is about the basketball itself.

Pickman: I can’t say I’ve ever seen referee jerseys with SEPHORA printed on them. That’s a difference from the WNBA. And while there are logos throughout the arena (Samsung Galaxy has a sticker on the court, and Miller Lite has its logo on each baseline), the sponsorship elements in the arena aren’t overwhelming.

What was your impression of the actual play itself?

Merchant: As for the play itself, the basketball resembled 5×5 more than I thought it would. Howard drained 3s, Kahleah Copper got to the rack easily, and Collier had her short fadeaway going. All things WNBA fans are familiar with.

However, there were a few possessions when a defender got blown by and you remembered it was 3×3 because no one came over to help. I also would have liked to see some more offensive sets. Lots of isos, lots of early pull-up jumpers. Ideally, the actions get more creative as the season progresses.

Pickman: The added space without four players was noticeable, but you’re right, the gameplay resembled 5×5 pretty closely. The format does tailor itself well to players showcasing their offensive repertoires. Jewell Loyd said players “took their normal shots.”

One thing I was watching for and will track all year is player conditioning levels. Heading into Friday night, so many players were excited about how Unrivaled would get them in better shape for the WNBA season. That might be true, but for now, it seems like players are also still adjusting to the modified full court. Coaches subbed a lot, but I saw a few players put their hands on their knees, as well.

Merchant: DJ Sackmann had the same subbing patterns for Collier that Cheryl Reeve did: As in, he didn’t.

It also stood out that the Lunar Owls only had five players compared to six for every other team because Cameron Brink is on their roster but out for the season as she rehabs her torn ACL. I wonder if they’ll get a hardship player the way Phantom did with Natisha Hiedeman, who replaced Marina Mabrey (calf strain).

Pickman: Sabreena, I’m curious: There was a lot made heading into Unrivaled about how it is a made-for-TV event and fans would be able to hear on-court chatter. Was that the case?

Merchant: Not at all.

Pickman: That’s one bonus of being in-person then. I sat seven rows up from the court on press row, and I clearly heard players calling out switches and both coaches giving out instructions about when to push the pace and how to maintain floor spacing. Sneaker squeaks were part of the in-arena chorus of sounds as were the thumps of bodies hitting the floor.

Merchant: It was hard to watch without thinking about what this league means for these players’ WNBA careers. Obviously, the first matchup was intended to feature Stewart versus Collier, but it also gave us Loyd versus Skylar Diggins-Smith. In case you needed a refresher, Diggins-Smith joined the Seattle Storm in 2024, but things didn’t exactly go according to plan, and Loyd has since asked the Storm for a trade.

The intensity between those two exceeded anything else on the court in my opinion.

Pickman: One of the big questions hovering over WNBA free agency this offseason is what the Storm will do with Loyd. If she can replicate her performance Friday night (34 points on 12-of-23 shooting), it’s easy to imagine that will help her trade value. “It’s great to come out there and just have joy,” Loyd said.

Merchant: In terms of the TV product, I’d be a little concerned that the first game passed the one-hour mark before the fourth quarter since the plan is for each game to fit into a 60-minute window. The first game clocked in at 76 minutes while the second game took 83 minutes (with the broadcast window ending nearly an hour after it was scheduled to conclude).

Pickman: That’s true, but in person, the pacing felt pretty smooth. The halftime breaks were only eight minutes with fan engagement much like any other game. The Liberty’s arena host, DJ Ria, emceed Unrivaled. They played part of Flau’jae Johnson’s song “Came Out a Beast” during one of the night’s breaks. (The LSU star signed a NIL deal with the league this December and will take part in collaborative content, marketing campaigns and merchandise activations.) But I’m sure your observation on the timing is something to watch going forward because this is a made-for-TV league.

Merchant: Speaking of made-for-TV, thank you to Unrivaled for using white jerseys versus a solid color. The little things help the visual product.

Another smart decision? The target score.

Pickman: Playing the fourth quarter to a target winning score (11 points from the leader after three quarters) paid immediate dividends. From the start of the period in the first game, defenses tightened — players said as much afterward — and fans also seemed engaged. The Lunar Owls overcame a six-point deficit and ended up winning the league’s first game 84-80 after Diggins-Smith hit a game-ending 3-pointer. The celebration certainly wasn’t that of an All-Star Game or exhibition. Her teammates mobbed her, and she strutted up the sideline tugging on her jersey as a fog machine let out smoke above both baskets.

Merchant: Also saw Sackmann run out on the court to celebrate. How often do you see a head coach that excited in a regular-season game?

Even the second game had some juice at the end, with Dearica Hamby’s layup giving Vinyl the 79-73 win. The beauty of a target score is that the last possession will always have some drama.

Pickman: The start of the second game had the feel of the second game in an NCAA tournament doubleheader. Lots of fans shuffled out of the show court during the brief intermission between the two contests, and it took a minute or two for the crowd to get its energy back. But it also didn’t take long for players to start to talk back to the refs. But what stuck out to me most was the intimacy of the environment.

Some players from the Mist and Lunar Owls came back to the arena bowl afterward. Carrington received cheers before exiting. Collier posed for a few selfies with fans. “We have the best players in the world and we want to do it justice,” she said. “We want to expose everyone’s talents and put those on display, and to have a format where every game is going to be engaging. And so I think this was a great first game for that, just showing what we can do and showing what the experience can be like.”

Merchant: Overall, that was a successful debut. Unrivaled filled a college basketball dead zone on Friday night, big names showed out, and Diggins-Smith put up a highlight that will be replaying on TNT for the next two months. Could we have expected any more, Ben?

Pickman: No. I think the first night of Unrivaled was a success. The basketball was competitive, especially in the fourth quarters, and the crowd was engaged throughout. While there was a buzz because it was something different, seeing the WNBA’s best players in the world star in this manner also felt familiar.

And whether fans experienced Unrivaled on Friday or not, they can catch the league’s second games’ tipoff on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ET).

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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