In a historic debut, the 3-on-3 Unrivaled League attracted a record-breaking crowd of 21,490 fans at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. This remarkable attendance not only set a new high for a regular-season women’s professional basketball game, but it also marked the largest turnout for any event in the venue’s history.
The record was confirmed during the opening game of a double-header on Friday, which was part of the league’s inaugural tour stop outside of Miami. “It was unbelievable,” said Napheesa Collier, co-founder of the league. “You could feel the love tonight. I’m so glad we came here. I just can’t explain it more than I was just so filled up with joy. It was amazing.”
A Milestone for Women’s Basketball
This event also signified the return of professional women’s basketball to Philadelphia, a city that last hosted a league game in 1998 when the American Basketball League was operational. The Unrivaled League’s games demonstrated a growing support for women’s sports, with Nola Henry, coach of the Rose team, stating, “It was just what women’s basketball deserves.”
The festivities surrounding the Unrivaled League included a community event and clinic on Thursday, leading up to the competitive action on Friday. The games featured the Breeze versus the Phantom, with the Phantom winning 71-68, and the Rose facing the Lunar Owls, who triumphed 85-75.
Fans showed immense enthusiasm, arriving hours before tip-off and sporting Unrivaled and WNBA gear. Notable personalities were also in attendance, including women’s basketball icon Dawn Staley, former NFL player Jason Kelce and his wife, Kylie, comedians Wanda Sykes and Leslie Jones, and Robin Roberts, anchor of “Good Morning America.”
Looking Ahead
Collier highlighted the significance of the turnout, stating, “It’s just a testament to what we’re building here, how much people believe in it. So to have the city show out like this, to break a record in all of women’s professional basketball here tonight, and for it to be Unrivaled, I think it’s just amazing. The future’s Unrivaled.”
As the league continues to grow, it has plans for multiple tour stops next season, with specific cities and dates yet to be announced. Several players, including Marina Mabrey, who scored a record 47 points while hitting 10 three-pointers, expressed their support for expanding the tour model. “I think it was awesome to see [the fans] come out and support us like that,” Mabrey remarked. “I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t realize there was going to be so much hype around it and so much support.”
The Unrivaled season will resume on Saturday in Miami, with the regular season scheduled to run through February, leading to playoffs on March 2 and March 4.
