After much drama of viewership, injuries, and debates about its existence in the last 2 months, the Unrivaled League has finally reached the semi-final stage! This is unusual for evergreen NBA and WNBA fans as they don’t get to see the playoffs until after 7 months and 4 months’ worth of regular season games, respectively. Well, every league has its dynamics to lure fans, and Unrivaled’s co-founder Napheesa Collier might have found this to be the one. Nevertheless, her Lunar Owls BC players have managed to reach the post-season after leaving 2 teams in the dust. Also, in the four-team semi-final series, the Laces BC, the Vinyl BC, and the Rose BC will play the semis alongside Collier. But what about the injury concerns after two months of ifs and buts?
According to a report by USA Today journalist Meghan L. Hall, there are 5 players spread over 3 teams on the Injury Report. Lucky Collier, her squad is cleared of any injury concerns, but the same cannot be said about the others. Vinyl Basketball Club’s Arike Ogunbowale is listed as ‘Questionable’ as her team is set to go up against the Lunar Owls. The 4x WNBA All-Star had sustained a right leg injury. She had missed the previous matchup against the Rose BC. Now, a ‘Questionable’ status places her odds of availability for the Semi-Finals at 50-50.
Unrivaled status report for 3/16 (Semifinals):
VINYL:
Arike Ogunbowale (R Leg) – QUESTIONABLE
ROSE:
Angel Reese (Hand) – OUT
Kahleah Copper (R Leg) – OUT
LACES:
Kate Martin (L Leg) – OUT
Jackie Young (Illness) – QUESTIONABLE
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) March 15, 2025
Worries are even worse for the Rose BC as the biggest name set to be ‘OUT’ is Angel Reese. Only a few hours after she was named Unrivaled’s Defensive Player of the Year, the 22-year-old was declared ‘OUT’ due to her hand injury. Reese had sustained the injury during the second quarter of Rose’s regular-season finale last Monday. She was reportedly hit on the wrist and got knocked off balance after securing an offensive rebound. It became apparent that an injury had occurred after Reese made a gentle shot during her next offensive possession and immediately grabbed her left wrist after the play was done.
Reese will not be the only member of her team ‘OUT’ of the upcoming matchup. Even Kahleah Copper will also continue to recover from her leg injury.
As for the Laces BC, Kate Martin has directly been declared ‘OUT’. Martin last played for the Laces back on February 1st and went on to miss 7 consecutive matchups. Meanwhile, Jackie Young is ‘Questionable’ as she recovers from an unspecified illness.
In light of these updates, all 3 of the 4 teams will have to make adjustments to their starting lineup as the Unrivaled gears up for the semis.
What will the starting 3 for the Laces, Vinyl, and Rose BCs look like?
For Rose BC, the starting lineup has 2 players listed as ‘OUT’ for the upcoming game. Therefore, to cover for Angel Reese and Kahleah Cooper, Azura Stevens, and Lexie Hull can see an increase in their on-court minutes. In 10 appearances, Stevens has averaged 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Meanwhile, Hull has averaged 6.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.64 assists. Together, they can cover well for the two absentees.
The starting lineup for the Rose BC will look something like this:
POSITION
STARTER
2ND
3RD
4TH
Guard
Chelsea Gray
Lexie Hull
Brittney Sykes
Ariel Atkins
Forward
Angel Reese (OUT)
Kahleah Copper (OUT)
Azura Stevens
Center
Azura Stevens
As for Vinyl BC, their starting lineup will look like this:
POSITION
STARTER
2ND
3RD
4TH
Guard
Jordin Canada
Rhyne Howard
Arike Ogunbowale (Questionable)
Forward
Dearica Hamby
Rae Burrell
Center
Aliyah Boston
The starting lineup for the Laces BC will look like this:
POSITION
STARTER
2ND
3RD
4TH
Guard
Kayla McBride
Jackie Young (Questionable)
Kate Martin (OUT)
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
Forward
Alyssa Thomas
Tiffany Hayes
Center
Stefanie Dolson
Laces, Vinyl, Rose, or Lunar Owls? Which team are you rooting for to take home the championship title of the league’s inaugural season? Let us know in the comments.
The post Unrivaled Knockouts: Injury Report, Starting 3 and More as Napheesa Collier & Others Gear Up for Semi-Final Clash appeared first on EssentiallySports.
