As Unrivaled prepares for its second season beginning in January, the league remains hopeful Catilin Clark will sign on to play, but isn’t trying to pressure the Indiana Fever star to participate.
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Speaking to Sports Business Journal, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell, the husband of Unrivaled co-founder and Minnesota Lynx center Napheesa Collier, said that “women’s basketball is better when she’s playing,” but they won’t “pressure” Clark to play, especially knowing Clark has not played since July 15 and will miss the remainder of the WNBA season due to injury.
“How we approach it is we don’t really apply pressure,” Bazzell said. “Everyone who’s not currently in the league and who’s a top player, not just her, knows we’re a phone call away. It doesn’t mean there’s always going to be a spot because we have to fill spots. … But she’s one of the rare players who — she was first-team all W last year. She’s a great player. So we haven’t really approached those conversations. We aren’t in conversations. Do I think she should play this offseason? Yeah, I do think she should play somewhere. Obviously we’d love to have her, but that’s a personal decision that her team, her family will go through.”
Clark was pursued last year ahead of Unrivaled’s inaugural season. However, wanting a break away from basketball was a reason she did not take part. But after missing the second half of the WNBA season due to injury, would court time over the winter ahead of the 2026 campaign be something she might feel would be beneficial in her preparation?
Bazzell said they will wait on a Clark decision, but at a certain point it may not be feasible to add another player if it’s too close to tip off.
“If someone comes to us late, not just those two [Clark and A’ja Wilson, who’s also unsigned], we have to look at the circumstances and the situation and say ‘Is there a spot? Is there not a spot?,” Bazzell said. “If so, how does it work?’ … I mean, we always have flexibility. That’s the truth of it. We own all the teams. We own the league. But I don’t think we’re going to ruin someone else’s experience [who’s already signed] by adding a player late. So I think we’re always conscious of both sides, but it’s all based on the opportunity and when it comes about.”
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Unrivaled, which is valued at $340 million after the latest round of funding, has reportedly discussed adding two more teams for the 2026 season, bringing the total up to eight. As WNBA labor negotiations continue, it would allow more players to take part if there is a work stoppage.
Also, as they await a decision by Clark, Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers will be involved after inking a lucrative three-year deal with Unrivaled just before being selected No. 1 overall in April’s WNBA Draft. Bueckers was signed to an NIL marketing deal by Unrivaled while she was still playing at UConn.
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