Unrivaled prez open to partnering with WNBA

As Unrivaled tips off its second season, league president Alex Bazzell didn't rule out the possibility of the 3-on-3 league partnering with the WNBA in the future.

"We're not in constant dialogue about that ... but as I've made very clear, we are open to growing the ecosystem, whichever way that looks like," Bazzell said Monday. "Nothing is on the table or off the table. ... I'm not going to speculate what could happen down the road, but everyone knows our door is always open."

Sources told ESPN in October that Unrivaled's co-founders, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, initially offered the WNBA a small equity share in the 3-on-3 league to show alignment. Ultimately however, such a partnership could have violated league rules, and they were turned down, sources said.

Bazzell likened the opportunity Unrivaled offers WNBA players to the predraft combine, offseason pro-am leagues, and the summer league that NBA players participate in -- all having the ultimate goal of "growing the ecosystem" of their respective sports.

The major difference with Unrivaled is that the league pays its players.

"But those are formal partnerships," Bazzell said Monday. "You even look at the collaboration that is happening in NBA Europe. That was not a formal partnership before. As long as you can look at the space through an innovative lens, anything is doable. Anything is possible."

Since the league's inaugural season last year, Bazzell has stated multiple times that Unrivaled is not in competition with the WNBA, but sees it as complementary. The league's goal has been to provide WNBA players with a domestic offseason opportunity, and it has also emphasized the desire to be a development hub.

However, as the WNBA collective bargaining agreement negotiations have grown more contentious, Unrivaled has also been used as a direct comparison, despite the two leagues having widely different business models and financial makeups.

Last year, Unrivaled offered its players an average salary of $222,222 as well as equity in the league -- a sticking point for the players in the CBA negotiations. Last week, multiple sources familiar with the negotiations told ESPN that the WNBA is projecting that a recent proposal from the WNBPA -- which would give players about 30% of gross revenue and is believed to feature approximately a $10.5 million salary cap -- would result in $700 million in losses over the course of the agreement.

Bazzell remained adamant that as the women's basketball landscape continues to grow and evolve, there is space for both leagues to thrive.

"You have to look at the entire space offered as an opportunity," Bazzell said. "Where women's basketball is today, and what we have built is so unique, one doesn't need to exist without the other for either to be successful."