Brittney Griner: New 3-On-3 League Will Put Pressure On WNBA To Pay Players More

It’s no secret that WNBA players don’t make a ton of money. But according to Brittney Griner, the new women’s 3-on-3 league, Unrivaled, might help to change that.

Co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled aims to give players an alternative option to going overseas during the offseason. The games will be played on a shorter full court with seven-minute quarters. 

Collier said on social media that it will look like “normal basketball with more spacing.” 

And it pays more than the WNBA, too.

Each of Unrivaled’s 36 players is guaranteed to make at least six figures for the eight-week season, with an average salary of $222,222, according to a December report from CBS Sports. Griner believes the 3-on-3 league might “put pressure” on the WNBA to follow suit.

“[Unrivaled] is bringing something new to women’s basketball,” Griner said. “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.”

Brittney Griner is one of 36 players who will participate in the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s basketball league.

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Griner’s Mercury teammate Kahleah Copper echoed this sentiment.

“I think it puts pressure for sure. It’s been amazing,” Cooper said. “I’m grateful they’re able to put some pressure on things we deserve and things we are pushing for.”

Unrivaled Comes At Perfect Time For Brittney Griner & Other WNBA Athletes

This year will be the final season for the WNBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), of which the players opted out in October.

“This is a defining moment, not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement at the time. “The world has evolved since 2020 [start of the current CBA], and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind.

“Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks — it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come.”

The problem, of course, is that the WNBA has never turned a profit in its 28 seasons, and it’s hard to pay players with money you don’t have. The NBA and its team owners largely subsidize the league, which lost a whopping $40 million last season — despite record-breaking ticket sales and viewership.

Unrivaled, on the other hand, is off to a good start. The brand-new league has already secured $35 million from a laundry list of investors that includes celebrity names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps, Dawn Staley, Coco Gauff, Alex Morgan, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, along with several others.

The inaugural season tips off on Jan. 17 with all games being played in Miami.

So is the WNBA feeling the heat from the new league? It’s too early to call.

If Unrivaled is somehow a booming success — a money-making machine that keeps investors happy — then players are certainly going to expect big changes (and big money) from the new WNBA CBA in 2026.

But that’s a big “if.”