The Phoenix Mercury player is a 10x WNBA All-Star and Olympic Champion

As the Unrivaled basketball league prepares for its highly anticipated launch, Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner has sent a strong message to the WNBA.

The Team USA star is urging the league to step up in response to the innovative model being showcased by Unrivaled.

Brittney Griner calls out WNBA

The 3-on-3 league, co-founded by WNBA All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, is introducing a groundbreaking equity-based financial structure that offers players guaranteed salaries averaging $250,000 and part-ownership stakes.

The model has already sparked conversations about the WNBA’s current approach to player compensation and resources.

Griner, a 10-time WNBA All-Star and one of 36 players set to compete in Unrivaled’s inaugural season, believes the league is proving how quickly transformative changes can happen.

“Unrivaled is showing that you don’t need a lot of time to pool resources together,”Griner said during a press conference.

“Being happy with what we already have is not gonna fly.”

Unrivaled’s debut comes at a pivotal moment for the WNBA.

The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) recently opted out of the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), seeking a model that reflects the value players bring to the game.

WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike explained the move: “We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it.”

Griner echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need for the WNBA to adapt.

“Hopefully, it helps the [WNBA] bring in more viewers, more [corporate] partners,” she said.

“It’s definitely going to put more pressure on the [WNBA] to do better, honestly.”

Unrivaled’s inaugural season, set to run from January to March, has already drawn significant attention.

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With games airing on TNT and streaming on Max, the league’s visibility is poised to rival that of major sports organizations.

This moment also marks a personal milestone for Griner, who is participating in an offseason program for the first time since her release from Russian custody in December 2022.

Pat Riley Shuts Down Negative Narratives Around Him Amid Wild Jimmy Butler-Heat Trade Saga

Pat Riley, Jimmy Butler (Image Source: Getty Images)
In the midst of the Miami Heat’s ongoing story with Jimmy Butler, Pat Riley, the team’s president, replied to critics on Thursday. On “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” he discussed how he doesn’t care what people think of him.

Riley has been the subject of several comments from onlookers. His attention is not on them, though, as he dismissed their comments that he was “washed.” The Boston Celtics’ five-game victory against the Heat in the opening round of the 2024 NBA playoffs prompted the criticism. When the Celtics won the championship, the sentiment around the renowned coach was brought to light.

Riley said, “Whoever’s saying that, I haven’t read it because I’m not on any social media site and I don’t care. I’ve had my a** kicked by the Celtics enough when I was coaching, and they’re a great team. I don’t worry about what critics say because maybe I am? Maybe I should go somewhere and just put my feet up. But I would then become compulsive-obsessive about doing something else.”

In this interview that was reportedly filmed before the latest Jimmy Butler scandal, Riley also explains what Heat Culture is all about.

He stated, “There’s a difference, be who you want to be, but in one of the great biblical terms, render onto Caesar you know what is his. As players, they have to render unto the Heat really what is theirs too, and while they go out there and they do all these other things, you can’t short cut it with us. I’ve actually explained this to the players is that while you’re under contract with us, you do owe us something.”