The Unrivaled league is moving at a faster pace than expected. After the inaugural season’s success, the league added two new teams and also expanded to a new venue along with Miami. The opening week viewership numbers for the 3-on-3 league were not very encouraging, but owners didn’t budge as Unrivaled was hoping for long-term success.
But moving to Philadelphia changed the scenario and encouraged players, too. Owners heap praise on fans, players, and the league, too, for the mega success on the first day.
Unrivaled Sets Record For Highest Attendance At Xfinity Mobile Arena
The 3-on-3 Unrivaled league is slowly gaining popularity and even made history on its first day at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena with 21,490 fans attending the Friday double header. This is a record attendance for a regular-season women’s professional basketball game as well as for any event in the venue’s history.
Excited by the news, Napheesa Collier said, “It was unbelievable. You could feel the love tonight. I’m so glad we came here. I just can’t explain it more than I was just so filled up with joy. It was amazing.”
21,490 fans attended Unrivaled in Philadelphia, breaking the record for the most-attended regular season pro women's basketball game ever. pic.twitter.com/jhI1RIWwJm
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 31, 2026
She added that people are now believing in the Unrivalled league, and the turnout was a clear indication of the same. Rose coach Nola Henry added that female sports deserve similar treatment. Marina Mabrey also added that she didn’t expect such a response from the fans as she set an individual record with a 47-point performance.
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Friday double headers saw Lunar Owls beating the defending champions, Rose BC, while Phantom BC moving up in the standings with a win over Paige Bueckers’ Breeze BC.
Paige Bueckers Calls Unrivaled More Challenging Than WNBA
The Wings’ star already received a superstar label from the league commissioner and has been one of the top players in the league. But she found playing in the unrivaled much more challenging than the WNBA.
“Yeah, I think the physicality [is] No. 1. We all know that the W is physical, but I feel Unrivaled is even more physical than that, and then not being able to have help side, like you’re basically on the island, so at points you’re gonna have to be okay with getting cooked,” the Breeze BC guard said.
23.9 PPG. 6.4 APG. 3 Game-Winners.@paigebueckers1 says 3v3 basketball is more physical, but she's making it look easy 🔥😮💨 pic.twitter.com/TfWscxZaz5
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) January 29, 2026
Despite these challenges, Bueckers is quietly building a strong case for Unrivalled MVP with dominant performances. She already won $50,000 prize money at the Unrivaled free throw contest.