Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 professional basketball league taking place in Miami this offseason, is just a few weeks away from completion, its inaugural season coming to a close on March 10th.
Unrivaled MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and more: our selections
Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Kayla McBride, Angel Reese, Nola Henry, and other picks for Unrivaled awards.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
As such, it’s time for end-of-year awards. Media members can submit three ranked selections for MVP, All-Unrivaled First and Second Team made up of three players each, three ranked selections for Defensive Player of the Year, and three ranked selections for Coach of the Year.
In the name of transparency, here are my selections.
MVP
- Napheesa Collier: Collier has been Unrivaled’s most dominant player, and it’s not particularly close. Collier is averaging 26.3 points per game (4 more than McBride, who is in second), 11 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Her Lunar Owls are 11-1.
2. Chelsea Gray: The Rose point guard has been exceptional of late, and she’s been a huge part of the club’s midseason turnaround. Gray is averaging 21.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. She’s scored more than 26 points in six of the Rose Club’s last seven games.
3. Kayla McBride: McBride has reminded the world what she is like as a primary scoring option, averaging 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists for the Laces this season.
All-Unrivaled Teams
First-team: Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Kayla McBride
Second-team: Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray
Dearica Hamby: Hamby has followed up a career year with the Los Angeles Sparks, and has emerged as the Vinyl’s steadiest player. She’s averaging 21.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and is fresh off a 31-point performance against Collier and the Lunar Owls.
Rhyne Howard: Howard looks poised for a strong season with the Atlanta Dream. She’s averaging 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. In her last six games, she’s averaging 23.5 points.
Allisha Gray: Collier has led the way for the Lunar Owls, but Allisha Gray hasn’t been too far behind. The Dream guard is averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game this season, and has been a major key to the success of the league’s winningest ball club. She’s scored at least 17 points in all but one game this season.
Defensive Player of the Year
This was a tough one, because several of the league’s top defenders missed substantial time, like Alyssa Thomas. I did weigh availability in considering which players impacted Unrivaled most defensively — as well as team success.
- Napheesa Collier: Collier showcased her lockdown defense in Unrivaled’s 1v1 competition midseason, in which she defeated Aaliyah Edwards. The 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year is poised to secure some additional defensive hardware, as she’s also been Unrivaled’s most dominant defensive player. Collier’s versatility has been full display and has been a major part of the Lunar Owl’s success. She’s averaging a league-high 1.9 steals in addition to 1.3 blocks per game.
- Breanna Stewart: Stewart’s Mist Club has struggled this season, but they’ve generally been strong defensively and have won three in a row. Stewart has appeared in all 12 Unrivaled games, and has averaged 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
- Angel Reese: Reese’s defensive can sometimes be overlooked because she’s not a shotblocker. But, her ability to guard all positions and switch onto the perimeter has shone through in Unrivaled’s full-court 3-on-3 format. The Rose have been the league’s second-best team, and Reese’s strong play on both ends has been a big reason why.
Coach of the Year
- Nola Henry: ESPN projected the Rose Club would be Unrivaled’s worst team. Instead, they’ve won 6 of their last 7 games and have already clinched a playoff berth. That’s despite the fact that Kahleah Copper has missed nearly half the season, and backup big Azura Stevens has also missed a significant portion. Chelsea Gray has returned to Finals MVP form, and Angel Reese has showcased a second-year leap. But first-time head coach Nola Henry has put all the pieces together effectively and is our frontrunner for Coach of the Year. Henry, a former Sparks assistant, is joining the Dallas Wings coaching staff next season.
2. DJ Sackmann: The Lunar Owls have been nothing short of dominant this season. At 11-1, they have a 4-game lead in the standings, and they’ve outscored opponents by 126 cumulative points; no other team has outscored their opponents by more than 11. The Owls have the league’s best player in Napheesa Collier, and have also had remarkable health; none of their 5 players have missed a game to injury. Still, Sackmann’s ability to maximize his group’s talent has stood out, and he’s another strong pick for Coach of the Year.
3. Andrew Wade: The Laces have lost 4 games in a row and are now 5-7 on the year. But, they’ve managed to stay competitive through a season marred with injuries; Tiffany Hayes has missed 4 games, Alyssa Thomas and Kate Martin have missed 6, and Jackie Young has missed 8. Despite that, the Laces have stayed paid competitive regardless of which relief player cycles through their rotation — a testament to Wade’s strengths as a coach. Wade, a longtime Washington Mystics assistant, will be the Director of Player Development for the New York Liberty next year.
