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Incomparable started as an ideaand has become a phenomenon.
The women’s three-on-three basketball league began last year in Miamiand this year the league has decided to go on tour. Their first stop on Friday night resulted in record numbers in a sold-out doubleheader.
With 21,490 fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Unrivaled set all-time records for the most attended regular season women’s professional basketball game and the most attended event at the arena that hosts the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers, as well as many concerts.
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Rickea Jackson of the Breeze drives the ball against the Phantoms during the first half of the Unrivaled 2026 game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Hunt Martin/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The respective previous records were 20,711, set by Caitlin Clark‘s Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics on September 19, 2024 and 21,424, set by the Backstreet Boys’ “Into the Millennium” tour on September 29, 1999.
Some critics may be surprised, given the low viewership early in the league’s second season. But David Levy, one of the league’s early investors and former president of TNT Sports, felt the numbers were skewed and success was on the horizon.
“I’m totally shocked by this, and maybe I shouldn’t be with what’s going on in the world these days with news, how negative people were in the first two weeks of Unrivaled. The first two weeks, we ran into football. Football, NFL, college, Monday night, championship game, you think anybody’s going to watch Unrivaled, right? So all of a sudden you come out and say, ‘The league is dead.’ No, I’m surprised.”
Paige Bueckers of the Breeze drives the ball against the Phantoms during the first half of the Unrivaled 2026 game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images/Getty Images)
League sources told FOX Business that Unrivaled is on track to eclipse $40 million in league revenue this season, up more than 48 percent from last season’s $27 million. Even during the weekend of low ratings, Levy mentioned, social engagement was up a lot. Merchandise sales are also up 54% from September through the end of this season’s opening weekend compared to the same period last season.
“I’m on the facts. The facts are, all the other metrics are up,” Levy said.
Levy said he knew the league would be a success when he realized the quality of play was A-plus.
“The biggest thing is the product on the floor has to be great. I didn’t know that out of the gate. I didn’t know how hard these girls are going to play. I didn’t. Would it be more of a game? But after the first two weeks, I knew it was gold,” Levy said.
Clark and A’ja Wilson, for sure The two biggest stars in the WNBAthey have yet to join the league. But that’s fine for now, Levy said.
“If you had closed your eyes and tried to say, ‘What if this was a Product of the NBA? And you had the top 56 players in the NBA, except for Steph Curry and LeBron, who didn’t play, but everyone was there. This would be the hottest during the summer. If it was a summer league, it would sell out,” Levy said.
Cameron Brink of the Breeze controls the ball against the Phantom during the second half of the Unrivaled 2026 game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 30, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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“She’s a great player playing in a three-on-three league. It’s absolutely a great opportunity, and that’s why I think she’s risen so fast. The quality of play, the names on the back of the jerseys, the social strategy is incredible. These women, they all have equity. Everyone has a following; female athletes are completely engaged with their fans. I think bread is an impression. That’s why the league is as successful as it is after only a year and three. weeks”.
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