On Monday evening, Tennis star Coco Gauff joined the continued movement to support women’s sports by investing in the upcoming “Unrivaled” women’s basketball league.
A champion on the court, a visionary off it. Welcome @CocoGauff to the @Unrivaledwbb family as an investor—together, we’re taking basketball to the next level! ???????? pic.twitter.com/aROAe6oDJk
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 6, 2025
The 3×3 league, founded by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, launches on January 17th with $35 million in investment capital from a slew of big names including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dawn Staley, JuJu Watkins, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Phelps and many others from the worlds of sports and entertainment.
Now, Gauff has joined that group.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Unrivaled as an investor,” said Gauff in a statement. “Basketball is one of my favorite sports, and the chance to support a league that’s redefining the game is exciting. I look forward to being part of this movement and continuing to help elevate women’s sports to new heights.”
The league features six teams- the Laces, Lunar Owls, Mist, Phantom, Rose and Vinyl. Each team will have five players and the games will be played in Miami.
The start-up has an impressive roster of players including Arike Ogunbowale, Angel Reese, Dijonai Carrington, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Alyssa Thomas, Marina Mabrey, and Sabrina Ionescu to name a few.
The financial support of Unrivaled follows other big investments in women’s sports that have taken place recently.
Last week, a Denver group agreed to a $110 million expansion fee for the NWSL’s 16th team. That fee was more than 2x what Bay FC & Boston paid for their teams ($53 million each) and is also the largest expansion fee ever in US women’s sports history.
In December, Netflix announced it had secured the US broadcast rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil and the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which the US and Mexico are expected to make a joint bid on.
Women’s sports continue to impress both on the court and off.
