Unrivaled Power Rankings After Full 2026 Roster Release
Unrivaled is back for season two with two more clubs, more players and a ton of excitement carrying over from their first campaign. This week, the league's coaches held their draft, picking the rosters for the eight teams. Players were separated into six pods, ensuring fairness and balance.
Last year's clubs could also protect a certain number of players based on how they finished the season. If they made the playoffs, they protected two players. If they didn't, they protected one. The expansion clubs obviously had no players to protect but picked first in the draft.
After a coin toss, Breeze BC selected first, and Hive BC after that. The league also announced the development pool of players who will join teams down in Miami when the season tips on Jan. 5, serving as emergency replacements.
With that sorted, it's time to get into power rankings. With no games to inform choices, these rankings are based on how well these teams could do on paper.
8. Hive Basketball Club
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Roster: Monique Billings, Sonia Citron, Natisha Hiedeman, Ezi Magbegor, Kelsey Mitchell, Saniya Rivers
Coach: Rena Wakama
One expansion team at the top, one at the bottom. Hive BC has a good mix of young talent and vets, bringing in Ezi Magbegor, Kelsey Mitchell, Monique Billings, Natisha Hiedeman, Sonia Citron and Saniya Rivers. Hiedeman is the only player on the team who was involved with Unrivaled last season, and she was a reserve player.
Hive is definitely guard-heavy, though, and may have trouble facing up against players like Griner, Smith, Stevens and Malonga, just to name a few. Yet, having a player like Magbegor in this lineup will help, as she is a two-way threat who will be able to score but also defend those tall, physical players. It's something she has been trying to improve upon over the years.
A super-fun aspect to this club is it's pairing two young players in Citron and Rivers. The two were ACC rivals in college, playing for Notre Dame and NC State, then rivals on Washington and Connecticut in the WNBA as rookies, and will now team up. Two very promising talents who will have some great playing time in Miami to develop ahead of Year 2 in the WNBA.
7. Mist Basketball Club
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Roster: Veronica Burton, Allisha Gray, Arike Ogunbowale, Alanna Smith, Breanna Stewart (protected), Li Yueru
Coach: Zach O'Brien
Breanna Stewart is the only returning player to Mist BC this year.
There are three WNBA award winners on this team, as Alanna Smith won Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Veronica Burton won Most Improved Player in 2025, while Allisha Gray was on the All-WNBA First Team. Smith brings (obviously) below-the-rim defense, while Burton, Arike Ogunbowale and Gray can shoot the ball and rack up points.
After Stewart's injury-filled WNBA season, hopefully she is able to recover in time to make an impact on this Mist club. Injuries were pretty rampant in women's basketball this past WNBA season, so she's not the only one dealing with this. If the club can quickly build chemistry as a unit and get everyone contributing at a high level, it could be a playoff threat.
6. Laces Basketball Club
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Roster: Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon, Maddy Siegrist, Brittney Sykes, Alyssa Thomas (protected), Jackie Young (protected)
Coach: Andrew Wade
Laces BC has two of the best players in the game in Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young. They will be joined by an entirely new supporting cast this season.
Despite being a "returning" player, Thomas did not play much of last Unrivaled season due to an injury. She then went on to lead the Phoenix Mercury to a WNBA Finals appearance, but also suffered an injury in the final game. We will have to wait and see how much that deep playoff run will affect her status going into Unrivaled.
Jackie Young played some of the best basketball of her career this past WNBA season in Las Vegas. The rest of the roster is built on exciting young role players in Maddy Siegrist and Naz Hillmon. Brittney Sykes is a veteran with a ton of experience, which will lend well to this team as well.
The main factor with this squad is health, given that Thomas, Young, Siegrist and Jordin Canada have all struggled with injuries in 2025.
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5. Vinyl Basketball Club
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Roster: Rae Burrell, Brittney Griner, Dearica Hamby (protected), Rhyne Howard (protected), Erica Wheeler, Courtney Williams
Coach: Teresa Weatherspoon
The new-look Vinyl could go far in Season 2. After retaining Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard, the club added Brittney Griner, Courtney Williams, Erica Wheeler and Rae Burrell.
Williams and Wheeler both had fantastic seasons in the WNBA, with Wheeler absolutely thriving in her new role with the Seattle Storm. Griner brings size, rebounding and defense to the team. Despite being out nearly half the WNBA season with an injury, Burrell was able to return in the back half and average 7.5 points per game—a career high.
With this mix of versatility, shooting ability, defence, post-play and more, Vinyl BC could outplay this initial ranking.
4. Phantom Basketball Club
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Roster: Aliyah Boston, Natasha Cloud, Dana Evans, Kiki Iriafen, Kelsey Plum, Satou Sabally (protected)
Coach: Roneeka Hodges
Phantom was another squad that was only able to protect one player in the draft, opting to retain Satou Sabally. They were still able to keep Natasha Cloud as well by redrafting her, and grabbed Aliyah Boston from Vinyl. Rounding out their roster are three new Unrivaled players: Kelsey Plum, Dana Evans and Kiki Iriafen.
The biggest question mark here is Sabally's health. She suffered a concussion during the WNBA Finals, and the timeline on recovery with head injuries is never really clear. Sometimes the symptoms linger, and we will have to wait to hear her status ahead of the Unrivaled season.
Cloud, Boston and Plum could be an interesting trio, though. Cloud's defense mixed with Boston's two-way game in the post and Plum's scoring ability could be big for the Phantom—even if Sabally's availability is in question. Plus they have a dynamic young player in Iriafen and a promising player in Evans. They could be a dark horse.
3. Rose Basketball Club
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Roster: Shakira Austin, Kahleah Copper (protected), Chelsea Gray (protected), Lexie Hull, Azurá Stevens, Sug Sutton
Coach: Nola Henry
Last year's championship team is back, with some different faces. Rose BC has retained Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper and has also kept Azura Stevens and Lexie Hull, but Angel Reese isn't coming back this year. While they have the benefit of having more returning players than a lot of the other teams, there will be an adjustment period in losing Reese.
Joining the team are Sug Sutton and Shakira Austin. With leaders like Gray and Copper, this team will do well. Stevens and Austin will have to take on some of the rebounding and post play that Reese contributed, and Lexie Hull provides shooting for the team that could be big in high-pressure moments.
Overall, this club could be a dark horse to win a second Unrivaled championship. That same grit and determination it had in Year 1 will serve the group well during a competitive Year 2.
2. Lunar Owls Basketball Club
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Roster: Rebecca Allen, Rachel Banham, Napheesa Collier (protected), Skylar Diggins (protected), Aaliyah Edwards, Marina Mabrey
Coach: DJ Sackmann
The Lunar Owls were on fire last year, having gone 13-1 in the regular season. They suffered a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals of last year's playoffs but still managed to protect two of their players from the draft this year. Despite the original team now being separated, the Lunar Owls are still packing a punch.
Leading the team is, of course, Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled's Year 1 MVP and 1-on-1 tournament winner. Collier extended her incredible play from Unrivaled last year into the WNBA season, becoming a front-runner for the MVP award as well. The Lynx fell short in the semi-final of those playoffs, and Collier was injured, but it seems like she will play in Unrivaled.
With Collier and Skylar Diggins now joined by 1-on-1 tournament runner-up Aaliyah Edwards, Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham and Rebecca Allen, the club is looking strong again. They have a great mix of size, versatility and shooting ability.
1. Breeze Basketball Club
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Roster: Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, Kate Martin, Aari McDonald
Coach: Noelle Quinn
Having the first overall pick in the draft worked out for Breeze BC, and they went a similar route to the WNBA's draft earlier this year, picking Paige Bueckers. The 24-year-old brings a ton of her skill over to the three-on-three format, and maybe most importantly, her impressive midrange game will be on full display.
She isn't the only star on this club; she is joined by the WNBA's two previous No. 2 overall picks in Dominique Malonga and Cameron Brink. When you mix Bueckers' guard skills with Malonga's size and versatility, plus Brink's talent under the basket, this is a big, terrifying trio.
Rounding out this roster are Aari McDonald, Rickea Jackson and Kate Martin. Jackson and Brink have played together on the Los Angeles Sparks for the past two seasons, and McDonald joined them in 2024. Adding them to this club, along with Martin's distance shooting makes the Breeze a top title contender. The youth movement in women's basketball has reached Unrivaled.
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