Unrivaled held the league's second-ever draft ahead of the January 2026 season on Wednesday — and many fans were surprised to find that the rosters they were used to were changing. In fact, there isn't a single team that looks the same as it did last season, and Unrivaled has even added on two new teams (the Breeze BC and the Hive BC).
While some fans were disappointed to learn that they might have to adjust their team loyalties, others have welcomed the change. And truly, one of the more compelling things about the league is that so far there has been a strong focus on introducing novelty and keeping things fresh, two factors that may be especially important to players of late as they navigate CBA changes in the WNBA.
The 2026 season of Unrivaled will see the addition of several newcomers, including WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers. In fact, the UConn graduate will join Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, Aari McDonald, Kate Martin, and Cameron Brink on the Breeze BC. This will be Brink's first season playing despite having been signed to the league in 2025 (Brink tore her ACL near the beginning of the 2024 WNBA season).
The Hive BC drafted the next round of players and chose Sonia Citron, Saniya Rivers, Monique Billings, Kelsey Mitchell, and Ezi Magbegor. The four teams who made the playoffs last year (the Rose, Lunar Owls, Laces, and Vinyl) were allowed to protect two players from being drafted elsewhere, and the final two teams (the Phantom and the Mist) were each allowed to protect one player.
Mixing up rosters shouldn't have a negative impact on Unrivaled
There are a lot of things that make the WNBA and Unrivaled two very different leagues. First and foremost, the W is 5x5 basketball and Unrivaled is 3x3 — but perhaps one of the more interesting differences is that since the league is still so new, most fans aren't watching Unrivaled out of a sense of team loyalty because they haven't had a lot of time to even build it. That makes choosing to rotate and mix up the rosters a solid decision on behalf of the league; fans are watching to see the players, so they'll take their loyalties wherever their favorite players are going.
It remains to be seen if Unrivaled will always change the rosters each season, but doing so might be one of the best ways to keep fans engaged and on their toes — and even the players, too.