As the new Unrivaled Basketball League is set to debut next January, the roster is loaded with WNBA champions and MVPs. The league added two more WNBA players: Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks and Katie Lou Samuelson of the Indiana Fever.
Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, played 15 games for the Sparks before suffering a season-ending torn ACL injury. She averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, shooting 84% from the charity stripe in her rookie season.
Samuelson played in 37 games this season, starting 15 games for the Fever. The fourth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 boards per game. Samuelson missed the 2023 season as she was on maternity leave. She later gave birth to daughter Aliya Renea Cannady in August of this year.
Which Unrivaled Teams are Brink and Samuelson Joining?
First, Brink will be a member of the Lunar Owls Basketball Club beginning in 2026. She joins a roster that includes six-time WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith, WNBA champion Natasha Cloud, Olympic Gold Medalist Allisha Gray, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Napheesa Collier, and Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin. The head coach of the Owls is NBA & WNBA Skills Coach DJ Sackmann.
Cam Brink is UNRIVALED ? Filling the first wildcard spot with a multiyear deal with the Lunar Owls ? She will take the court in 2026 ✅ @cameronbrink22 pic.twitter.com/NffHpVpbeb
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) December 17, 2024
In this case, Samuelson was a wild card as she will join the Phantom Basketball Club in 2025. Her teammates will be two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Jackie Young, the 2024 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes, Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey, two-time All-Star Satou Sabally, and nine-time All-Star Brittany Griner.
LOU is UNRIVALED ? Filling the second wildcard spot ✅ SHE’S A PHANTOM ? @33katielou pic.twitter.com/zEbs8h9tP4
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) December 20, 2024
What is Unrivaled?
In total, six teams will compete in Miami as each player is set to receive a reported six-figure salary. The league was founded by Collier and two-time league MVP Breanna Stewart. What’s more, a one-on-one tournament with all players will be held as the winner will get a $250K prize. The league got a new round of investment, making their overall capital $35 million.
Additionally, the league has plenty of well-known investors:
- Carmelo Anthony
- Steve Nash
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Michael Phelps
- Michelle Wie West
- Megan Rapinoe
- Geno Auriemma
- Dawn Staley
- JuJu Watkins
We at Unrivaled are so incredibly grateful to our stellar investors for their contribution to the league ?? pic.twitter.com/DNh6YgB6BY
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) December 16, 2024
Fans can watch 45 games broadcast in prime time three days a week. A TV deal was inked between Warner Bros and Unrivaled. TNT will air games on Mondays and Fridays. Also, truTV will have weekend coverage on Saturdays. Unrivaled will last from Jan. 17 through March 17.
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Photo Credit: Brink (Wikipedia); Samuelson (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
