The Unrivaled women’s basketball league put up impressive viewership numbers in its debut season this past year. It’s led to some lucrative investment that has WNBA veteran Brittney Griner very excited.
This week Unrivaled announced that it had closed oversubscribed Series B investment which brought the total valuation of the league to an impressive $340 million. Not bad for a sports league just two years into its very existence.
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Griner, who plays for Unrivaled’s Phantom BC and recorded the first slam dunk in the young league’s history, was delighted by the news. Taking to her Instagram Story, she shared some eyes emojis, signifying her excitement for the news about her second employer.
The Unrivaled league emerged in 2024 as an alternative league for WNBA players to earn more money in lieu of traveling overseas to play. Griner’s own incarceration in Russia was largely prompted by her continued trips to the country to play pro basketball there in between WNBA seasons.
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While not every WNBA superstar joined Unrivaled (specifically Caitlin Clark), the league still put up decent ratings and numbers to justify a second season. They have already built several expansion teams for future seasons.
MEDLEY, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 07: Brittney Griner #42 of Phantom takes looks on against the Lunar Owls during the third quarter at Wayfair Arena on February 07, 2025 in Medley, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)Rich Storry/Getty Images
Brittney Griner’s career
Brittney Griner was drafted No. 1 overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2013 and became the franchise’s cornerstone for 11 seasons, winning the 2014 WNBA title and back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2014 and 2015. A perennial All-Star (10+ selections) and the league’s dominant shot-blocker for much of the 2010s, she also owns the WNBA record for most career dunks (27 across regular season, playoffs and All-Star Games).
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After returning to the court in 2023, Griner battled a toe fracture in early 2024, then made a high-profile move in free agency, signing with the Atlanta Dream on Feb. 1, 2025. She received a warm tribute in her first game back in Phoenix that July, posting 17 points and eight boards in a Dream win—another chapter in a career defined by elite two-way play and big-stage moments.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
