Unrivaled women's 3-on-3 basketball league to launch in January backed by big names

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier's 3-on-3 league Unrivaled is set to debut in January with players earning the highest average salary in women's professional sports league history.

Collier and Stewart said all salaries will be six figures and players will also have an equity stake in the league.

"It's really important to us," Collier told The Associated Press. "Compensation is a huge part of Unrivaled as a league and a business. All the players in this first year will have equity in the league. For players to have a piece of the pie essentially to grow their generational wealth is something we're really excited about."

Stewart said that compensation was key for players, many of whom have spent their off-season overseas supplementing their WNBA incomes. The average WNBA base salary is about $130,000 with the top stars able to earn more than $500,000 through salary, marketing agreements, an in-season tournament and bonuses.

"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."

The league, which was first announced last summer, will run for eight weeks with the 30 players divided into six teams. The squads will play two games a week with the contests taking place on a court about two-thirds the size of a WNBA one. The teams will stay the same throughout the season.

Games will be four quarters long with less time in each quarter than a WNBA contest. Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said the rules will be released later.

"This was built as a product," he said. "It's meant to solve some of the things