Unrivaled is almost done revealing players — and there’s 1 notable omission

Unrivaled, the professional offseason 3-on-3 basketball co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, has announced 46 of the 48 players who will participate in Year 2.

Of those, 30 are returners from Year 1, while 16 are first-time players (some of them are WNBA rookies, while others simply didn’t play last winter). Unrivaled bringing back 30 players from Year 1 means that there’s a small group of inaugural players who haven’t yet reaffirmed their commitment to Year 2.

Those players are Angel Reese, Kayla McBride, Katie Lou Samuelson, Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Tiffany Hayes, and Stefanie Dolson. Samuelson and Vandersloot both suffered ACL tears this past season, so their absence is no surprise, while others, like Reese, McBride, and Ionescu, serve as more notable omissions.

Reese, Unrivaled’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is a particularly noteworthy name, and not just due to her on-court play; Reese brings with her a massive fan base and emerged as one of the faces of the league in its inaugural season.

Two spots remain, and so it’s very possible that Reese will secure one of them and is simply in the process of negotiating her new contract. Player salaries weren’t revealed in Year 1, but on average, Unrivaled players made more than $220,000.

Unrivaled has been transparent about the process, sharing on Wednesday: “A few of the players we’re in productive negotiations with just need a little extra time — and we’re all about giving our athletes the space to make big decisions on their own terms.”

Needless to say, there will be plenty of eyes on who Unrivaled’s final two players are. Outside of potential returners, A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark remain the two biggest names not to participate in the 3-on-3 league.

In the meantime, there are plenty of new names to get excited about — namely, the additions of several of the league’s top rookies and best guards. Kelsey Plum, who was initially slated to play in Unrivaled in Year 1, but ended up dropping out before the season started, makes her highly anticipated debut. Kelsey Mitchell, an MVP finalist this season, is also another big-time addition, as is Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and Most Improved Player Veronica Burton.

Here’s the full list of new additions:

The vast majority of players from Year 1 are returning for Unrivaled’s second season, including co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, MVP finalists Alyssa Thomas and Allisha Gray, and All-Stars Jackie Young, Satou Sabally, and Aliyah Boston, among others:

The league’s second season is set to tip off on January 5th in Miami.