Breanna Stewart, Mist BC’s Unrivaled final win brought in 314K viewers
Everyone watches women’s sports, as evidenced by the latest Unrivaled season.
Stewart, who co-founded the 3-on-3 women’s pro basketball league with Napheesa Collier, praised Unrivaled’s growth after the second season concluded with her winning championship MVP. The league generated $45 million in revenue and reached over 1.2 billion fans digitally. Merchandise revenue also increased 130% from Season 1.
‘We’re really proud of the success that we’ve had from year one to year two. … We’re proud of the product that we’ve been able to create,’ Stewart during her Team USA media availability on March 6. ‘Know that we just want to continue to build a space that’s growing and evolving for women’s professional basketball players.’
The Mist punched its ticket to the final with a 73-69 comeback semifinal win over Paige Bueckers and Breeze BC in front sold-out crowd of 18,261 at Barclays Center on March 2. Mist BC’s win followed Phantom BC’s 83-75 victory over Vinyl BC. The semifinals not only drew in a star-studded crowd, including the likes of UConn guard Azzi Fudd, NBA legend Carmelo Anthony and Issa Rae, the matchups brought in 232,000 viewers on TNT.
‘Shout out to the fans really for coming in and showing up and supporting us,’ Stewart said on March 6. ‘Obviously Brooklyn was less than a month notice for anyone to be able to come, but I was really excited … we were able to come back because we never gave up, but also we got the crowd and the momentum on our side and that’s a turning point when you’re a player.’
The Brooklyn stop produced more than $1.5 million in revenue from tickets and merchandise. Unrivaled also had a tour stop in Philadelphia during the regular season with a sold-out crowd of 21,490 which generated $1.4 million in revenue.
Unrivaled’s Philadelphia stop in January also sparked a 35% growth in viewership. The two games were part of the eight most-watched broadcasts of the season. Rose BC star Kahleah Copper said it was ‘cool’ playing professionally in her hometown.
‘I took (my teammates) to North Philly,’ Copper said during her Team USA media availability. ‘We actually walked from where I grew up, the park I played at, we walked to my Philly home. … We took a stop at where I first started hooping outside and then our last stop was at the house.
‘I was able to share a little piece of me with them.’
Viewership grew throughout the season, with nearly an 80% increase from opening night to the championship game on March. Ratings were slightly down from last year’s final (364,000 viewers), but the championship was the most-watched game of the season.
‘The Phantom and the Mist were the only teams that missed the playoffs (in 2025), then the following year in the championship. I thought that was really cool,’ Stewart pointed out. ‘(My teammates) were so excited to have the goggles moment. They just wanted to wear the goggles and pop the champagne and that type of thing. And it makes you appreciate the little things and all the celebrations and all the hard work behind it.’
Overall, Unrivaled averaged 185,000 viewers on TNT for games that didn’t air in direct competition with College Football Playoffs, NFL Playoffs or the 2026 Winter Olympics. That average is 16% below last year’s average.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
