“When players leave, [we want them to feel] this was the best off-season they’ve ever had,” Alex Bazzell had said. And well, the league is pulling all the stops to ensure that. With a hefty $350,000 prize pool and 30 of the WNBA’s best players ready to battle it out, Unrivaled has a 1-on-1 tournament on the way. However, while the anticipation builds with the release of new details, a few crucial players remain off the list.
After previously making its intention for the additional tournament known, Unrivaled officially unveiled the rules and participants over a week into the league. Among the 30 contestants bracketed into 4 pods, 5 notable names remain nowhere to be seen– Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese, Stefanie Dolson, and Courtney Vandersloot. While the reasons aren’t out, it is quite a run the players seem to be missing out on.
The 1-on-1 is no ordinary competition. Running from February 10th to 14th, the event will feature 30 of the WNBA’s 36 players battling to “crown the one” best player. While the winner of the tournament will receive $200,000, the runner-up will take home $50,000.
Not only that, but the two semifinalists will also receive cash prizes of $25,000 each, and every club teammate of the winner will get $10,000. However, the highlight isn’t just the cash prizes.
Angel Reese will not participate in the Unrivaled 1v1 tournament.
The tournament will run from Feb. 10 to 14 with a $350K total prize pool.
Here are the four pods of 30 competing players: pic.twitter.com/LO7x0qqwmb
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) January 28, 2025
“There’s still a team camaraderie perspective — where you may be eliminated, but your teammate keeps advancing,” said Unrivaled CEO Bazzell. “Inevitably, you want to root them on — not just for personal reasons, but also because there’s an incentive for you if your teammate wins the ultimate cash prize.”
With a “make it, take it” format, games to 11 points, and an 11-second shot clock, the event promises intense one-on-one matchups. Yet, both Reese and Ionescu are absent from the players’ roster.
Reasons Sabrina Ionescu could sit out the 1×1 for
The New York Liberty star, for one, has made it clear, that Unrivaled does not take the top priority. “This is the middle of our offseason, so there is a fine line between understanding you are here to get better and work,” she told ESPN. “But for me, I can’t be as intensely locked in as I am in the W. I’d be burned out by the time the W season starts.” Ionescu expressed wanting to balance her time, especially when it comes to her physical and mental well-being.
Moreover, she also underwent surgery to repair a torn UCL in her right thumb just last month. While she’s cleared to participate in basketball activities, she’s still not at 100%. “[My recovery] has been a little sped up… If I didn’t have this going on, I probably could have taken a little bit more time just rehabbing, letting it heal. But I’m fully cleared by the doctors to be able to play and continue to do my rehab while I’m out here and get live reps,” Ionescu shared after practicing for Unrivaled.
During practice, she had a white wrap on her thumb, her shooting hand, which later became a black splint during media availability. Ionescu even flew back to Los Angeles a few days after arriving in Miami for a follow-up appointment. “I’m not going to be here the full time,” Ionescu admitted. “They’ve been very accommodating knowing that I have obligations I have to be at, being able to work through that with them and knowing I want to be here, fully committed to my teammates and this team.”
However, her health isn’t the only factor. Ionescu could be skipping the tournament to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend from February 13-16 in San Francisco—her hometown.
Angel Reese’s reasons on the other hand, despite being a consistent force on her team, remain unknown. The 22-year-old could be prioritizing her mental and physical well-being as well considering she is returning after a tough rookie season and a wrist surgery.
Still, the tournament boasts an incredible lineup of players. Breanna Stewart’s desire to “settle debates” about her greatness, Napheesa Collier’s all-around brilliance, and Kahleah Copper’s explosiveness ensure that the event will deliver electrifying basketball.
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