Unrivaled Facing Backlash After Angel Reese Decision

Fans were disappointed, to say the least, when Unrivaled announced its final three players for the 2026 season on Thursday. The league brought in two new teams and expanded to 48 roster spots for this season, but defending champion Reese was left off the list.

"I’m sorry but this doesn’t move me at allllll ….where’s Angellll!!" one X user said after seeing the final roster.

"No angel kinda nuts," said a fan.

Among the 48 players, WNBA All-Stars like Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas provided plenty to be excited about. But the fact that Unrivaled missed out on the dynamic Reese led social media commenters to describe the league's roster as " lukewarm" and "underwhelming."

Why Is Angel Reese Not Playing Unrivaled in 2026?

It is unclear why Reese did not return and which party made the final decision. Unrivaled had left its final three spots open since Oct. 1, with general manager Clare Duwelius stating the league was pursuing “productive negotiations” with multiple candidates. On Thursday, Unrivaled announced Aari McDonald, Rebecca Allen and Dominique Malonga as the remaining players.

There appeared to be reasons for both sides to make a deal, but they could not come to an agreement. On Wednesday, Reese made a post on X that said, "ugh i miss hoops!"

“There is no secret who the top players in the world are, and they know we have a spot for them,” league president Alex Bazzell previously told ESPN.

The disconnect could have been over money, but that is unlikely. At a reported $220,000 last year, Unrivaled already had the highest average salary of any professional women's sports league in the world. Reese's $50,000 bonus for winning the championship with Rose was worth more than half of the $81,096 yearly WNBA salary on her rookie contract.

Reese stays busy off the court from the fashion world to her work in the entertainment industry, so her schedule may have simply been too full.

Is Caitlin Clark Playing in Unrivaled?

Beyond Reese, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu was the biggest name from the first season who did not return. Unrivaled was also unable to recruit the two biggest WNBA stars who missed out on its inaugural season, Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

The new season begins on Jan. 5 in Miami, with a special "tour stop" scheduled in Philadelphia on Jan. 30.