Unrivaled

Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart announced the founding of a new women’s basketball league to give top players the option to play domestically during the WNBA’s offseason.

Create and execute a disruptive roll out plan for Unrivaled’s historic women’s sports launch with as the league unveils its star-powered investor list, the highest average salary in the women’s sports league history, and the tip-off of its inaugural season January 2025 in Miami.

Our team developed and executed a strategic communications plan for how Unrivaled can engage with in-depth storytelling across multiple outlets at the national level, as the league prepared to make its first major announcement since the League was founded.

In tandem with a live television announcement on Good Morning America with Co-Founder Breanna Stewart, the team coordinated embargoed interviews across a variety of national media outlets to reach a wide audience. The outlets included Andscape, Associated Press, CNBC, Front Office Sports, Sportico, The Athletic, The Gist, The Hollywood Reporter, The Pat McAfee Show, The Washington Post and Yahoo Sports for Co-Founders Stewart and Napheesa Collier, President Alex Bazzell, Chief Brand Officer Kirby Porter, and investors John Skipper, David Levy and Dan Rosensweig.

The volume of coverage demonstrated an increased media interest in women’s sports and an expanded fan appetite for new opportunities outside the already established leagues.

To continue creating momentum and buzz around the League, the team built off the announcement with additional in-depth interviews, including NBC News Digitial, JohnWallStreet, SportBusiness and Morning Brew.

“For a long time, going overseas was the only option that people had in their offseason, and so this is kind of changing the narrative around that and giving another option,” said Collier. “Overseas is a great option for some players, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you can do to make money and play basketball and get better.” CNBC

“It’s amazing, not only for the salaries to be similar or more than your WNBA salary, but to be able to build brand partnerships that can’t come into the W or the NBA,” Stewart said. “It’s more than just an initial salary, but showing these companies who you are as a player.” Associated Press

“We look at ourselves as an extension of what the WNBA has built, what college basketball has built, the excitement,” Bazzell said. “We want to extend the runway and bring more visibility to the stars domestically.” The Athletic

“Amid record-setting attention and interest, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled Basketball League announced on Thursday that it has attracted an all-star set of investors, including Megan Rapinoe, Carmelo Anthony, Alex Morgan, and many more. Additionally, the league has enlisted the support of former ESPN President John Skipper and former Turner President David Levy both as investors and to develop a broadcast plan for the new league.” Boardroom

• 450+ combined placements on the unveil and initial release, including editorial, social and broadcast
• 25+ interviews coordinated and executed leading up to the announcement with Napheesa Collier, Alex Bazzell, Kirby Porter, John Skipper and David Levy as well as multiple interviews with Breanna Stewart the day of the announcement with top-tier media for deeper storytelling, including Good Morning America, The Washington Post, CNBC, The Hollywood Reporter, Associated Press, and more.
• 2.3+ billion total media impressions