Unrivaled’s Sold-Out Night Becomes Defining Moment In Women's Basketball

Unrivaled, the professional women’s basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, continues to build powerful momentum in its second season, most recently breaking an attendance record Friday night in Philadelphia. With strong gains across revenue, viewership, merchandise, and fan engagement, the league is reinforcing its long-term vision and growing impact on the women’s sports landscape.

The 3-on-3 league that calls Miami home debuted in Philadelphia at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday night and packed the house like never before.

Unrivaled, in its second season, took the show on the road for the first time ever on Friday, and made history in the process. With 21,490 fans in attendance, Unrivaled broke the professional women's basketball record.

The league took to Instagram to share the exciting news, and fans and brands alike dropped into the comment section to leave some positive thoughts.

Sprite wrote, "Our kind of 'ladies night.'" TNT Sports US shared, "Philly showed out."

One fan took to the comments to say, "We need a WNBA team here," with another writing, "The WNBA team will be well supported." One fan questioned, "Is Unrivaled bigger than the WNBA?"

During Unrivaled's time in Philly, the Phantom beat the Breeze 71-68, and Lunar Owls won over Rose 85-75.

According to ESPN, Collier is happy that the league decided to bring some games to Philadelphia.

"It was unbelievable," Collier said to ESPN. "You could feel the love tonight. I'm so glad we came here. I just can't explain it more than I was just so filled up with joy. It was amazing."

Collier added that the turnout proves "how much people believe in it."

"So, to have the city show out like this, to break a record in all of women's professional basketball here tonight, and for it to be Unrivaled, I think it's just amazing," she said. "The future's Unrivaled."

Rose coach Nola Henry added her thoughts on the sold-out crowd, saying, "It was just what women's basketball deserves."

This was the league's first time playing outside of their homecourt in Miami. It was also the first professional women's basketball game in the city of Philadelphia since 1998 when the Philadelphia Rage played in the ABL. With the number of fans that came out for Unrivaled, it's safe to say when the WNBA expansion team hits the court in 2030 in Philly, fans will be ready for the action.

Following the success of the Philadelphia games, Unrivaled plans to take some more games on the road next season, hitting multiple cities.

Now in just its second season, the player-founded, player-driven league has already seen significant growth across revenue, viewership, merchandise sales, and fan engagement. According to league sources who spoke exclusively withThe Blast recently, Unrivaled is on pace to surpass $40 million in revenue this season.

The league’s social performance continues to surge, with opening weekend views and impressions up 27% compared to last year and engagement increasing by 6.6%, a testament to its highlight-first strategy. Merchandise sales have also jumped 54% over the same period last season.

Unrivaled’s momentum extends well beyond digital metrics. Partner retention remains strong, with 95% of inaugural sponsors returning for season two, and several including Xfinity, TOGETHXR, and Maker’s Mark deepening their commitments.

Unrivaled and TOGETHXR, two women-athlete owned forces in sports, joined together to launch a new merch collection called, "TOGETHXR We're Unrivaled." This collab celebrates their shared mission to elevate women in sports and shift perceptions, while giving the fans a great way to support the movement.

Co-founded by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Jessica Robertson, TOGETHXR is one of the fastest growing women's sports brands. They are well-known for their trademarked slogan - "Everyone Watches Women's Sports."

"The 'TOGETHXR We're Unrivaled' collection is bold and athlete-powered," said Jessica Robertson, TOGETHXR Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer. "As two female-athlete-founded entities, TOGETHXR and Unrivaled were built on similar values, and that creates a natural connection for us to continue to transform sports for both athletes and fans."

In January, Stewart accepted the Sports Illustrated Innovators of the Year award in a ceremony in Las Vegas on behalf of her and Collier.

During the ceremony, Stewart shared her gratitude for all who supported her and Collier while launching Unrivaled, and all who continue to support the league.

"Thank you so much to Sports Illustrated, this is truly and honor," Stewie said. "I'm incredibly proud to be able to accept this award together with my partner, Napheesa Collier, even though she couldn't be here tonight, Unrivaled simply doesn't exist without her vision, leadership, and willingness to challenge what's already been done."

Stewart explained that the thought for Unrivaled wasn't about "creating something new" but "building something better."

"We're grateful for the athletes who believed in us, the partners who took a chance on us, and the fans who continue to push the game forward," she continued. "This award isn't just for us. It's for every woman who's ever been told to wait their turn. We decided to build our own table so pull up a seat; we're just getting started."

For more information on Unrivaled, visit the website.