Unrivaled signed nine women's college basketball players to NIL deals, locking commitments for its 2026 roster while the athletes are still playing NCAA basketball. UConn freshman Sarah Strong and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo lead the group. Neither will play professionally for another 15 months, but both are now contractually tied to the Miami-based 3-on-3 league that pays six-figure salaries and equity stakes.
The deals formalize what every front office already knew: college stars with social traction are cheaper to sign before the WNBA draft than after. Unrivaled's co-founders, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, spent $35 million in reported Series A capital building a league that runs January through March, directly after the WNBA season ends. The 2025 season tipped off last week with 36 players and a $100,000 minimum salary. By announcing the 2026 class now, Unrivaled bypasses the post-draft bidding war and secures inventory before agents can triangulate overseas offers.
The timing matters because the NCAA transfer portal closes in early May, the WNBA draft is April 14, and European clubs typically finalize rosters by June. An NIL deal signed in February gives Unrivaled exclusive negotiating position with players who haven't yet declared for the draft, can't sign overseas contracts, and are still building their brands on campus. Strong is averaging 18.7 points per game as a freshman; Hidalgo led Notre Dame to the Sweet Sixteen last season. Both have follower counts north of 150,000 on Instagram, the floor for endorsement math that matters to apparel partners.
Unrivaled's bet is that early equity converts to long-term retention. The league offers players a revenue-share model and stock options in addition to cash salary, a structure borrowed from tech startups more than traditional sports leagues. If a player like Strong stays for five seasons, her equity stake compounds; if she leaves for a EuroLeague contract after one, she forfeits unvested shares. The nine NIL deals announced today don't carry the same equity terms as pro contracts, but they lock the players into exclusive negotiation windows once they turn professional. That exclusivity is the actual product Unrivaled is buying.
The move also signals to WNBA teams that Unrivaled is no longer positioning itself as an offseason developmental league. It's building a parallel ecosystem with its own draft pipeline, its own media rights, and its own sponsor relationships. TNT Sports holds broadcast rights through 2027; Nike is rumored to be in advanced talks for kit sponsorship, according to two people familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity because negotiations are ongoing. A roster announcement 18 months before tipoff suggests Unrivaled expects those deals to close before the NCAA tournament begins.
Watch for Unrivaled to announce a second wave of NIL signings before the Women's Final Four in April, targeting players who declare early for the WNBA draft. The league is also expected to formalize its equity structure for incoming rookies by June, which will clarify whether college signees receive the same terms as established pros. Meanwhile, European clubs are already adjusting their 2026 budgets; Fenerbahçe and UMMC Ekaterinburg typically offer $500,000 contracts to top Americans, but that math changes if half the draft class is contractually unavailable.
Unrivaled's Series B is expected to price in Q3 2025, and investor decks are already circulating with projected 2026 attendance figures that assume a full roster of NCAA-to-pro conversions.
The takeaway
Unrivaled signed nine college stars to NIL deals, locking 2026 commitments before the WNBA draft and cutting off European bidding wars.
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