Ogunbowale is among the 36 players taking part in the new league as women’s sports continues to enjoy increased attention, investment and viewership. The four-time WNBA all-star is a guard for Vinyl Basketball Club and is clearly thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of this original group of talent.
“It's been great, obviously, playing with some of the best female players in the world, I have a great team, great coaches,” Ogunbowale said in an interview during Unrivaled’s opening weekend. “It's been really good, great facilities.”
The league debuted on Jan. 17 in Miami, with a unique set of rules and dimensions designed to increase pace and scoring. Three-on-three basketball is typically played on a half-court, but Unrivaled employs a condensed version of a regulation WNBA court in order to play a full-court style of basketball. Time is shortened as well, with Unrivaled’s shot clock being 18 seconds instead of 24 for the WNBA, and quarters are only seven minutes long instead of 10.
And speaking of scoring, Ogunbowale, the WNBA’s 2020 scoring champ, has acquitted herself well early in the season, scoring double digits in every game so far.
Co-founded by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled is made up of six teams, including Ogunowale’s Vinyl: the Lunar Owls Basketball Club, Mist Basketball Club, Rose Basketball Club, Laces Basketball Club and Phantom Basketball Club.
The new league sees itself as not only important for the continued growth of women’s basketball but for women’s sports as a whole. The President of Unrivaled, Alex Bazzell, said the goal is to elevate the women in women’s sports.
“People talk all the time about the historic salaries in our league, and I look at that as we have a long way to go. Collectively, women's sports, we have a long way to go,” Bazzell said during a press conference in Miami. “... I hope we're forcing others to understand that this is not just [an] exception. This is now the standard, and I think we want to continue to be on offense and be the standard moving forward.”
Arike Ogunbowale isn't just playing in Unrivaled. She is making it happen with the Vinyl Basketball Club. We get to see her amazing play in Dallas. Now, her incredible skills can be seen in this wonderful new league.#Unrivaled #UnrivaledWBB
— Rob Tiongson (@RobTiongson) January 21, 2025
Ogunbowale does more than collect a paycheck from Unrivaled’s reportedly $8 million salary pool: she is one of the players who has equity in league ownership.
“I think just investing in women and making that a priority, [and] good things are going to come out of it,” she said. “I think that's clearly showing, especially with viewership. And just how many people, the demand to come to the games, to watch the games, it’s definitely showing [that] when you invest, you'll get your return.”
The promise of Unrivaled has Ogunbowale thinking bigger than individual stats or even wins and losses on the court.
“I think it's just going to keep growing and growing and growing,” she said. “Obviously, everybody who has equity will get a return at some point and get some money in the long run, but just knowing that you're not just playing in the first year, you're able to have an actual equity in it, and it's kind of your league. You have a piece of the league. If it's a small piece, you have a piece of the league and you’ll be able to be connected with it forever.”
