Unrivaled’s Stance on Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson Revealed

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Many of the WNBA's top players played in the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball league this offseason. Founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, it allowed the players to continue competing while the 2025 WNBA season was still a ways away.

Despite Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson choosing not to play, Unrivaled still saw major success in its inaugural season. It averaged more than 311,000 viewers per game across TNT and truTV, and secured up to $35 million in funding through a wide range of partnerships.

Moving forward, Unrivaled feels confident in what they have, but continuing to stockpile talent will take things to the next level. The league recently signed Dallas Wings No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers to a three-year deal.

And in that same Bueckers report by ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Andrews shared that Unrivaled has been pushing for Clark and Wilson.

"After Unrivaled concluded its inaugural season in March, sources told ESPN that signing Bueckers, as well as making a push for Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson, were top priorities as the league looked to take its next step forward," Andrews wrote.

Clark hasn’t publicly explained why she chose not to play, but A’ja Wilson did in an interview with Time.

"I like to enjoy my offseason," Wilson said. "That's my time to really just decompress. Unrivaled seems great—my teammates are loving it. Obviously, the money in it is amazing. And it's like, Dang, missing out. But wholeheartedly, not even trying to front, I just didn't want to. I just want to protect my peace. Because once the season gets in, no one's gonna think, Oh, you just got done playing Unrivaled, let's take it easy."

Year 2 of Unrivaled is expected to tip off in January 2026, just a few months after the latest possible end date of the WNBA Finals on Oct. 17.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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