Unrivaled’s list of high-profile partnerships continues to grow

Unrivaled’s list of high-profile partnerships is continuing to grow. The new professional women’s 3-on-3 basketball league — co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart — announced on Friday a multiyear partnership with Sephora as its official and exclusive beauty partner.

Sephora, a French-based makeup company, is one of the world’s largest personal care and beauty companies, offering cosmetic, skincare, fragrance, nail, and hair care items. As a result of the partnership, the company will outfit the league’s new glam room at Unrivaled’s new facility in Miami.

Unrivaled tips off in two weeks, on January 17th in Miami. The league boasts 36 WNBA players — including Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner, Satou Sabally, and dozens of other All-Stars — and will span 9 weeks.

The league has already announced partnerships with several other major companies, including Ally Financial as the league’s official banking and founding partner; TNT Sports as the exclusive media rights partner; State Farm as the league’s home and auto insurance sponsor; Ticketmaster as its official ticketing partner; Wilson as the official game ball manufacturer; Under Armour as the official uniform partner and performance outfitter; Miller Lite as the official beer partner; Mediapro North America as the production and hosting partner; and VistaPrint as the league’s official print and design partner. VistaPrint will represent the Mist Basketball Club as an official jersey patch partner.

The venue aims to provide all Unrivaled athletes the amenities and services that they need — including mothers who choose to bring their kids with them to the 9-week league. The Mediapro facility features a hair and makeup room, a childcare center, and more.

“We’re going to provide daycare servicing for the mothers on arrival,” Alex Bazzell, Unrivaled’s president, told SB Nation. “It’s everything that the athletes need under one roof when it comes to anything and everything — on-court or off-court for them.”

Kirby Porter, Unrivaled’s chief brand officer, said that Sephora was a natural fit for the new professional women’s basketball league.

“Our partnership with Sephora is a natural brand alignment for the league, and we’re grateful for Sephora’s support in providing holistic resources and top-tier products for any needs Unrivaled athletes have throughout the season,” said Porter. “Sephora’s dedication to uplifting and empowering emerging brands deeply resonates with a league also looking to make waves as a new, diverse sports property.”

Sephora will provide players with all of their beauty needs throughout the season, and be featured in on-court signage and throughout the arrival hall for player entrances.

“At Sephora, our mission is to create an inclusive community where all feel welcome to celebrate themselves, making a partnership with Unrivaled — a league committed to elevating and empowering the greatest in women’s basketball – a seamless collaboration between beauty and sports,” said Zena Arnold, Sephora’s chief marketing officer. “Sephora and Unrivaled share many aligned values, including advocating for equity within our communities and together we hope to encourage confidence and self-expression for all.”

Unrivaled promises players an average salary of at least $222,000, more than twice the average WNBA salary. That doesn’t take into account equity or revenue shares, both of which will be added to players’ salaries.

“We are really changing the outlook of the ecosystem holistically,” Bazzell said. “You’re seeing more leagues bumping up their pay because that’s where the space is now. We’re proud to play a part in that growth of just the economics of these players being paid a lot of money to play basketball. That’s where we want to get to. It’s great to have brand deals, it’s great to have all this off-court stuff, but at the end of the day, we want to be able to pay them high salaries on the court.”