With every historic reform in any aspect of any industry, there comes an uninvited load of attention. And it goes above and beyond in terms of Napheesa Collier and her co-founded Unrivaled league.
Ever since its inception earlier this year, basketball critics started putting it face-to-face against the WNBA, which its founders claim is not.
However, while there will be a Season 2 of Unrivaled at some point, Collier is anticipated to have a chance encounter with one of the Chicago Sky standouts.
Napheesa Collier Could Reunite With Chicago Sky’s Rachel Banham
While the league, which was merely an idea a couple of years ago, has pulled in one of the WNBA’s biggest names just ahead of the second season.
As Unrivaled expands to eight teams for its January 5 tip-off, Collier’s Lunar Owls welcome Chicago Sky guard Rachel Banham, a former Lynx staple from 2020 to 2023.
RACHEL BANHAM IS UNRIVALED ✅
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) September 29, 2025
Presented by @ally
Catch her in Season 2 starting Jan. 5 on TNT, truTV and Max. 📺 pic.twitter.com/hqxzjqJJZl
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However, the duo has a shared history in the league. They share state titles in Minnesota high school ball and Lynx locker room laughs.
Interestingly, it was only last week when Unrivaled draft locked in Banham with the Lunar Owls, putting her alongside Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Marina Mabrey, Rebecca Allen, and Aaliyah Edwards.
Additionally, Banham’s time in Minnesota overlapped with Collier’s rise, including that 2023 playoff push where her 35% clip from deep off the bench eased pressure on the starters.
Now 32 and entering free agency after two uneven Sky seasons, Banham averaged 8.2 points on 37.1% from three in 2025.
Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled Could Spark Conflict Of Interest Amid Project B’s Popularity Surge
That Lunar Owls chemistry might come at a cost, though, as Collier’s Unrivaled stake draws scrutiny in the WNBPA’s push for a new CBA.
With nearly half of the union’s executive committee tied to alt-leagues, Collier and Breanna Stewart, as co-founders of Unrivaled, and Nneka Ogwumike signed to Project B. It’s hard to commit to the fact that there won’t be any potential conflict of interest.
Though Collier insists that no conflict exists, telling ESPN that the leagues complement the WNBA by keeping players stateside and building brands without requiring overseas travel.
Additionally, Unrivaled’s first season drew 221,000 viewers per game on TNT, with a 60% female audience, and its $8 million salary pool allowed stars like Collier to pocket $200,000 for a one-on-one win, nearly matching the earnings of top WNBA players.