Brittney Griner joins Unrivaled 3x3 off-season league
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Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury is the 24th player in the field for the new Unrivaled Basketball 3-on-3 league.
PHOTO: AFP
LOS ANGELES – Unrivaled Basketball, a new 3x3 league for Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players in their off-season, announced on Oct 2 that All-Star centre Brittney Griner is the 24th player in the fold.
The 30-player league is starting in January, with all games played in Miami over a 10-week span. The women will be divided into six teams of five players.
The pro league, launched by WNBA All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, could serve as an at-home alternative for players who traditionally have spent the WNBA off-season playing overseas to supplement their pay.
In addition to Stewart, Collier and Griner, the league also will feature Chelsea Gray, Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Rhyne Howard, Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young, Angel Reese, Dearica Hamby, Kayla McBride, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Allisha Gray, Natasha Cloud, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Rickea Jackson, Courtney Vandersloot, Brittney Sykes, Shakira Austin, DiJonai Carrington and Tiffany Hayes.
University of Connecticut (UConn) star Paige Bueckers reportedly will be playing in the league. WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, however, reportedly will take a break from basketball this off-season.
Griner, who will be 34 on Oct 18, is a 10-time All-Star, six-time All-WNBA and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
The Phoenix Mercury won the league championship in her second season in 2014.
She averaged 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in starting all 30 regular-season games in 2024.
Phoenix were swept in the first round of the play-offs by the Minnesota Lynx. She averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and two blocks in the two games.
Phoenix made her the first overall pick of the 2013 WNBA Draft out of Baylor University.
Former women’s football stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, retired NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash, five-time LPGA champion Michelle Wie West, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and actor Ashton Kutcher are among the investors in the new league.
REUTERS
