WNBA rivals turned visionary partners Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier have taken years of battling each other on basketball’s biggest stages. Their latest move however, in designing Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament with a $350,000 prize pool, has been met with equal amounts of admiration and disbelief.
National reporter Myles Ehrlich captured the sentiment perfectly: “Crowdfunding the $350K prize pool and then giving themselves the tougher path to the money… yeah, Stewie and Phee are built differently than I am.”
Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 bracket, launching soon, seeds 30 players across four regions and features Stewart, Collier, Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale as the top seeds. In choosing to make elite players compete earlier in the format, the WNBA finalists are trying to achieve a meritocracy.
Crowdfunding the $350k prize pool and then giving themselves the tougher path to the money… yeah, Stewie and Phee are built differently than I am. https://t.co/WeDRuKNHn7
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) February 5, 2025
Stewart and Collier’s mission to redefine earning opportunities for WNBA athletes resulted in the league’s crowdfunded prize pool, which is funded by investments from basketball icons such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dawn Staley.
Collier explained that overseas play often requires players to give up branding, and family time, for income. This dynamic gets killed by unrivaled flips with equity stakes and rates in line with overseas contracts.
This is a developing story…
The post Breanna Stewart & Napheesa Collier’s Stand on “$350K Crowdfunding” Triggers Strong Reaction From National Reporter appeared first on EssentiallySports.
