Paige Bueckers, Alyssa Thomas Headline 1st Reveal for Unrivaled's 2026 Roster

Unrivaled began announcing its 48-player roster for the 2026 season on Monday, and it started with a heavy hitter.

The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers will be taking part, as will Phoenix Mercury teammates Alyssa Thomas—a six-time All-Star—and Satou Sabally as well as 2024 All-Rookie honoree Rickea Jackson.

Saniya Rivers will play after her WNBA rookie season, while veteran Erica Wheeler is also joining the fold.

After being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Buckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game as a rookie. Her strong performance helped earn her a spot on the All-Star team in her first year.

Thomas earned her fourth straight top-five finish in the MVP voting this year, and 2025 was arguably her best individual season. She averaged 15.4 points on a career-high 53.3 percent shooting along with 8.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.6 steals.

Few players in the W have been more consistent than the 6'2" forward. She played a key role in the Mercury winning 27 games and eliminating the reigning champion New York Liberty in the first round of the playoffs.

Sabally helped as well. She put up 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, showing off the versatile skill set that made her one of the top free agents on the market last winter.

Jackson, meanwhile, averaging 14.7 points per contest and shot 34.8 percent from beyond the arc. She went off for 30 points and seven rebounds in a June 11 win over the Las Vegas Aces on June 11.

Thomas, Sabally and Jackson all took part in Unrivaled's inaugural season in 2025.

Thomas captained Laces BC, which went 7-7 during the regular season and lost to Rose BC in the Unrivaled semifinals. Jackson was part of a Mist BC squad that finished 5-9 and missed the postseason. Sabally was the captain for Phantom BC, which was the other team that didn't qualify for the playoffs after compiling a 4-10 record.

As for Rivers, she was the No. 8 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA draft and averaged 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Connecticut Sun.

Wheeler will play in Unrivaled after suiting up for the Seattle Storm this past season and averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.