Unrivaled opening night takeaways: Upstart league is a slam dunk

If players care, so will we. They're bought-in, making Unrivaled an easy sell.

Jewell Loyd auditions for the rest of the WNBA

The two-time WNBA champion assembled an impressive reel for WNBA front offices with a vintage performance for the Mist. Loyd scored 34 points on 12-of-23 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three-point range, and added five rebounds, an assist and a block.

The six-time All-Star requested a trade from the Seattle Storm earlier this offseason, and her excellent game on Friday night should remind other teams what they'll get by acquiring her.

It's important for Loyd to have a big Unrivaled season after a frustrating 2024 WNBA year in which she finished with a career-low field-goal percentage (36 percent). That looked like a distant memory in her Mist debut.

Showcase for rising stars

While Unrivaled has some of the WNBA's biggest stars, it will also be an excellent platform for the league's younger pros.

Lunar Owls forward Rickea Jackson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Sparks, was second on the team with 15 points.

Jackson had a scorching third quarter, scoring nine consecutive points at one point to give her team a 10-point lead, 73-63.

In the nightcap, the youthful Vinyl, featuring three under-25 players, beat the veteran Rose. Boston and Rae Burrell played a smaller role, combining to score 19 points, as 2024 Olympic 3x3 women's basketball bronze medalists Rhyne Howard (33 points) and Dearica Hamby (17 points) flourished, but each had meaningful contributions. 

Reese, playing in her first game since fracturing her left wrist on Sept. 6, continued her elite rebounding ways, finishing the loss with a double-double (10 points, 14 rebounds).