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Rena Wakama named Hive BC coach for Unrivaled league’s second season, starting in January.
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Wakama is a Chicago Sky assistant coach and the head coach of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team.
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Unrivaled league expands to Philadelphia and Miami, featuring top basketball coaches and teams.
Rena Wakama was one of head coach Tyler Marsh’s three assistants for the Chicago Sky this past season, alongside Courtney Paris and Tanisha Wright. Together, they led Angel Reese and the Sky to a 10-34 record, which is tied with the Dallas Wings for the worst standing in the entire WNBA.
The Sky have not announced any changes in their coaching ranks for the upcoming season. However, Wakama was involved in an exciting offseason development on Thursday. This is after the 33-year-old was named as one of the coaches for the upcoming second season of the Unrivaled league in January.
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Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama looks on in the second half against France.© John David Mercer-Imagn Images
Wakama is a former college basketball player for the Western Carolina Catamounts. After graduating in 2015, she played professionally abroad in her native Nigeria. She started her coaching career in 2017. Apart from being an assistant with the Sky, Wakama is also the head coach of the Nigeria Senior Women’s Basketball Team.
On Thursday, Unrivaled announced its full coaching roster for its second season. This includes former Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn, New York Liberty assistant coach Zach O’Brien and former Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, to name a few.
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Wakama was also announced as the coach of Hive Basketball Club (Hive BC), which is one of the two expansion teams for the new season.
Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 basketball league that was founded in 2025 by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The second season will start on Jan. 5. Last year, all the games were played in Miami, Florida, but it was already previously announced that multiple games in the second season will be played in Philadelphia as the league’s inaugural tour stop.
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As for Wakama, 2025 was her first season as a WNBA assistant coach. She will now seek to gain more experience outside the league during the offseason, ahead of her second year with the Sky in 2026.
Related: Angel Reese Sends Message to Former Indiana Fever Player on Tuesday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
