Women's basketball has been growing at an exponential rate over the past few years. It will get even bigger on Friday when Unrivaled kicks off in Miami.

Unrivaled is a new 3-on-3 league and an opportunity for WNBA players to compete domestically during the offseason. But for those who helped bring the league to fruition, it was about bringing competitive basketball back to its simplest, most primitive form, like playing basketball on a playground.

"Everything is designed for the players," Unrivaled president of basketball operations Luke Cooper told ESPN. "This business is built for the players, the facility is built for the players, and the real game - 3-on-3 full court is rooted in the way you played basketball as a kid."

Here's everything you need to know about the league ahead of its inaugural season.

What is invincibility?

Since the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997, many league players have continued playing overseas during the offseason, both to supplement their income and to find high-level competition.

Founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled offers 36 of the WNBA's top players the opportunity to stay in the United States for the eight-week season, which runs from January 17 to March 17 in a custom-built facility in Miami. This is not the first domestic alternative league. Athletes Unlimited, a 5-on-5 league launching in 2022, will play its fourth season in Nashville from February 5 to March 2 with 29 of the 40 participants having WNBA experience.

But Unrivaled, a group of six teams, hopes to stand out on wages, facilities and style of play.

"It was built by basketball people for basketball players," Cooper said. "That's our north star... We have an incredible 36 players who are going to make each other better, so in that sense we're unique in the market."

Unrivaled's goal is to become the first league to compete financially and resourcefully with the WNBA.

How much are the players paid?

Unparalleled officials said the alliance has more than $35 million in funding, with investors including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC star JuJu Watkins.

When the league was announced, one of Unrivaled's selling points was that its average salary would be higher than the WNBA's, even though it had only one-fourth the number of players.

The average WNBA salary in 2024 is about $119,500, with a maximum of about $242,000.

Unrivaled says it offers "the highest average salaries in professional women's (team) sports." League president Alex Bazzell told SB Nation in December that Unrivaled's total salary would be $8 million, which would bring the league's average salary to about $222,222.

In addition to salary, Invincible players also receive equity in the league. Unparalleled officials declined to discuss the league's player compensation issues with ESPN.

Which players are involved?

Unrivaled is committed to attracting as many of the WNBA's top players to the league as possible. When league officials pitched it to them, all they had was a concept: "This is what we want it to look like" and "This is how we want it to feel."

“I’m so thankful for these players,” Cooper said. "They took a risk."

The 36 players competing in Unrivaled this season include seven WNBA No. 1 draft picks (Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Jackie Young, Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner), one WNBA MVP (Stewart) and 17 former Olympians.

Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, has committed to play for the Unrivaled but will miss the season as she recovers from an ACL injury suffered in June 2024 .

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark have chosen not to participate in Unrivaled this season.

UConn senior Paige Bueckers and LSU junior Flau'Jae Johnson, both projected No. 1 picks in April's WNBA draft, have signed non-contract contracts with Unrivaled. Bueckers is expected to join the league in 2026.

How is the list established?

On November 20, six unparalleled head coaches gathered in Miami to select teams. 34 of the league's 36 players (two wild-card spots are still being determined) are divided into six groups based on position and play style. From that point on, six coaches worked together to create each team, selecting at least one player from each group to create a balanced lineup.

But coaches won't know which team they will lead until the selection process is complete.

"It puts the responsibility back on the coach," Cooper said.

Jump to Unrivaled's list

Where will Invincible take place and how long will the season last?

The Unrivaled season will last eight weeks, including the playoffs, and will be played entirely at the MediaPro Center in Miami. Competitions are held every Monday, Friday and Saturday.

The regular season uses a round-robin format, with six teams facing each other at least once, with each team playing 14 games. The top four teams based on record will advance to the playoffs. Head-to-head record and point difference will serve as the decider.

The playoffs will begin on March 16 - the Sunday of the men's and women's college basketball tryouts - with two single-elimination semifinals. The championship game will be held on March 17.

Unrivaled also recently announced that it will host a one-on-one tournament from February 10-14, where players will compete against each other in a single-elimination, winner-take-all tournament, with the winner receiving a $250,000 prize for winning The winner will receive an additional $10,000. Their 3-on-3 teammates.

How are Unrivaled's 3v3 rules different from the Olympic 3x3 events?

Unrivaled will be played in a compact full court of 49.2 x 72 feet instead of the half court (36 feet x 49 feet) used in the Olympics. For reference, the WNBA's playing surface is 94 by 50 feet.

"It feels like you're watching a basketball game and there happen to be four less players on the court," Cooper said. "This is not a gimmick. Basketball has a larger operating space and the court is shorter, so players have physical strength to play."

Each Unrivaled game will consist of three seven-minute quarters and what the league calls the "winning score" in the fourth quarter. The winning score will be determined by adding the 11 points scored by the leading team in three quarters. For example, if the score is 50-48 entering the final quarter, the first team to reach 61 points wins. There will never be overtime.

"The roots of this game are in the way you played basketball as a kid wearing a black top," Cooper said. "There's a flow. There's a rhythm."

The unparalleled playmaker hopes to eliminate late fouls and speed up the overall pace of the game by hitting the target score. To this end, the free throw process will also be different. When a player is fouled - whether on a layup or a three-pointer - only one free throw is awarded. If a 2-point shot is fouled, a single shot is worth 2 points; if a 3-point shot is fouled, a single shot is worth 3 points. A free throw after a shooting foul is worth one point.

A player will be ejected after his sixth foul, but if a team has only three players and one of them commits a sixth foul, that player will remain in the game but will be assessed a technical for each foul. foul.

The game will use an 18-second shot clock, compared to the WNBA's 24 seconds, and the clock will only stop in the final 30 seconds of the game instead of the final minute.

With the exception of the cue at the start of the game, all jump ball situations are replaced with alternating possessions.

Who is the coach?

The six head coaches all have varying levels of experience in the NBA and WNBA, led by former Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon and former NBA assistant coach Phil Handy, who most recently was with the Los Angeles Lakers The team played for five seasons.

Weatherspoon will lead the Vinyl team, while Handy will coach the Mist team.

Former Washington Mystics assistant Andrew Wade will lead the Roses, and Norah Henry, who most recently played with the Los Angeles Sparks, will coach the Roses. Former Brooklyn Nets assistant and director of player development Adam Harrington will coach the Phantoms. WNBA and NBA skills coach DJ Sackmann will coach the Lunar Owls.

How to watch Wushuang

Monday and Friday night games will air on the league's rights holder, TNT. Saturday's game will be broadcast on TruTV. All games are also available for streaming on Max.

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Unparalleled lineup

BC shoelaces

Stefanie Dolson, forward/center, Washington Mystics
Tiffany Hayes, guard, Las Vegas Aces
Kate Martin, guard, Golden State Valkyrie
Kayla McBride, guard, Minnesota Lynx
Alyssa Thomas, Forward, Connecticut Sun
Jackie Young, G, Las Vegas Aces

BC Moon Owl

Shakira Austin, forward/center, Washington Mystics
Cameron Brinker, forward, Los Angeles Sparks
Napheesa Collier, guard, Minnesota Lynx
Skylar Diggins-Smith, defender, Seattle Storm
Allisha Gray, guard, Atlanta Dream
Courtney Williams, G, Minnesota Lynx

british columbia mist

DiJonai Carrington, guard, Connecticut Sun
Aaliyah Edwards, forward, Washington Mystics
Rickea Jackson, forward, Los Angeles Sparks
Jewell Lloyd, defender, Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart, forward, New York Liberty
Courtney Vandersloot, guard, New York Liberty

Phantom BC

Natasha Cloud, guard, Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner, center, Phoenix Mercury
Sabrina Ionescu, guard, New York Liberty
Marina Mabrey, guard, Connecticut Sun
Sato Sabally, forward, Dallas Wings
Katie Lou Samuelson, forward, Indiana Fever

Rose BC

Kahleah Copper, guard, Phoenix Mercury
Chelsea Gray, G, Las Vegas Aces
Lexi Hull, guard, Indiana Fever
Angel Reese, G, Chicago Sky
Azura Stevens, forward/center, Los Angeles Sparks
Brittney Sykes, guard, Washington Mystics

Vinyl BC

Aliyah Boston, F/C, Indiana Fever
Rae Burrell, guard, Los Angeles Sparks
Jordin Canada, guard, Atlanta Dream
Dearica Hamby, guard, Los Angeles Sparks
Ryan Howard, guard, Atlanta Dream
Arike Ogunbowale, guard, Dallas Wings