How Unrivaled Scored an Underdog Win...

During a WNBA All-Star Weekend bookended by labor talks and player protest, Unrivaled Basketball emerged a major winner.

Unrivaled finished its inaugural 3-on-3 season earlier this year in Miami, and, over WNBA All-Star Weekend, set up a space at 416 Wabash Street in Indianapolis to bring some of its energy to fans who couldn’t make the trip south for games. Unrivaled made an appearance at WNBA All-Star last year in Phoenix during Fenty Beauty’s “Ladies Night” event, but chief brand officer Kirby Porter said the league had to think bigger this time around.

“Heading into this year, thinking about our off season, one of the key tentpoles was showing up in this moment to reach more fans,” Porter said. “What we do in-season is very intimate in terms of the capacity—a good percentage of our fans travel in for games—but how do we bring the Unrivaled experience to those that maybe were not able to go or want to experience it more?”

The answer was to show fans their league through its players’ perspectives. Presented by Sephora, Unrivaled gave fans a peek at a player’s life inside a replica of their Miami facility. League sponsor State Farm set up a “general manager’s office” at the entrance and had fans determine what team they’d play with. 

Ally set up locker rooms where guides, including Unrivaled founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, showed them team-specific uniforms and shoes. After spending a season with its brand on the front of Unrivaled’s team jerseys, Ally was more than willing to follow the league to the biggest event in the WNBA—where Ally is also a sponsor.

Meanwhile, Samsung let fans take media day photos, with Sephora providing glam stations and a full tunnel walk to a replica of Unrivaled’s court, where players made appearances throughout the weekend. And for fans looking to get closer to the action, Under Armour provided a full store of Unrivaled merchandise.

For two days, Unrivaled gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at its operations, introduced them to brands and players, and brought them as close to the game day experience as they could without stepping on WNBA All-Star activities. While recognizing shared interests with the WNBA, Unrivaled and its partners offered options for advancing women’s basketball.