MEDLEY, Fla. — Since Unrivaled began two months ago, the Rose basketball club has stewed over a square piece of paper, clipped by a magnet, on their whiteboard.
It was a social media post of ESPN’s preseason rankings for the inaugural season of the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league. The Rose were predicted to finish in last place behind the Lunar Owls, Phantom, Vinyl, Mist and Laces.
Rose standout Kahleah Copper sent the post to coach Nola Henry before the season, knowing it would add fuel to the team’s fire. Rose stars Angel Reese and Brittney Sykes even discussed the sore subject in postgame interviews during Turner Sports broadcasts.
Two months later, the first Unrivaled season ended with the Rose having the last laugh.
Chelsea Gray scored 18 points with eight assists to win Unrivaled Playoff MVP, Sykes scored a driving layup and the game-winning free throw, and the Rose beat the Vinyl 62-54 to win the first Unrivaled championship on Monday night.
The Rose players – led by Sykes’ 21 points and Azurá Stevens’ 19 points and 18 rebounds – each won $50,000 in bonus money for their championship win.
“Everybody in our locker room knew what we were capable of, and what did we do?” Copper said while she was “off the champagne” during the Rose’s postgame press conference.
The Rose players strolled onto the Unrivaled practice court to speak after the game, wearing Unrivaled champion T-shirts and snowboarding goggles and holding bottles of Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label as the celebration continued into the Miami night.
Gray wore a black T-shirt with the ESPN rankings.
“They counted us as six coming into this thing,” Gray said. ‘It’s a testament to my team, and I couldn’t win MVP without them.”
Gray set the Unrivaled record with 39 points in the Rose’s semifinal win over the Laces on Sunday night to help them advance to the title game, while the No. 4 seed Vinyl eliminated the top-seeded Lunar Owls.
She helped the Rose overcome a 1-4 start to win the league’s first title. And she’s been fully healthy again, after struggling at times last season after returning from a broken foot she suffered during the 2023 WNBA Finals.
“Hell yeah, there was motivation,” said Gray, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time WNBA champion.
“Last year was hard. It was rough. When I came back, I still wasn’t 100 percent. Some people thought I was,” Gray added. “I just put the work in, do my job, and talk after winning.”
Reese, the Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year and All-Unrivaled second-team standout, did not play for the Rose in the two-game playoffs. She re-injured her surgically repaired left hand during the regular-season finale last Monday. It’s unclear the severity of her injury and how it could affect her upcoming season with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.
Reese cheered from the Rose bench one day earlier, but was not in attendance for Monday’s title game – until she joined the Rose title celebration via FaceTime call.
Copper also did not play due to a right leg injury, while Stevens missed some time with a leg injury after the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament last month.
The Rose player injuries were also a source of motivation during the championship run.
“Angel is not here, but we knew we had to step up. I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game, and I’m so happy and proud of my team. They’ve just meant everything to me,” Stevens said.
“Obviously, I had a little injury during the season, and it was a little tough. But every day, I had encouragement from everyone, from the coaches, my teammates, just to keep going and stay locked in. We were all locked in today, and I’m just so proud of us.”
The Vinyl were led by Rhyne Howard’s 22 points, while Dearica Hamby and Aliyah Boston each scored 10 points in the loss. Howard scored a midrange jumper to help the Vinyl take a 49-48 lead with three seconds left in the third quarter, before Gray sank a shot from beyond halfcourt as the buzzer sounded.
The Vinyl – which entered the postseason with a 5-9 record and via a tiebreaker with the Mist on the final day of the regular season – never led again after that point.
“As hard as you work and you don’t want it to end like this, so of course, you can only imagine how they feel,” Vinyl coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “I feel for them. They’ve been absolutely outstanding.”
Added Vinyl guard Jordin Canada: “Nobody thought we could get here, and so we’re just proud of that.”
The first Unrivaled season saw more than 40 of the best WNBA players in the world compete in a 3-on-3 format over the course of two months. They’ve created an offseason alternative in which they earn equity, not paychecks. They’ve strived to make improvements to their games they believe will translate into the next WNBA season.
And they may have changed the landscape of women’s basketball.
“Oh, what a night, and what a few months this has been,” Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler said before the trophy presentation.
“Thank you to the best fans in the world, night in and night out, for being so loud and so supportive. Thank you to the best players in the world. Thank you to the best partners, and thank you to the Unrivaled staff. This is not easy, but it sure as hell has been extremely fulfilling. We just collectively made history,” Lawler said.
Unrivaled highlights: Rose vs. Vinyl
Watch: Rose celebrate championship
Unrivaled third quarter score: Rose 51, Vinyl 49
Target winning score: 62
It’s a race to 62 points for the first Unrivaled championship, heading into the fourth quarter.
Chelsea Gray scored a buzzer-beating three beyond half court, and the Rose lead 51-49 over the Vinyl after the third quarter.
Gray has 12 points and eight assists, while Azurá Stevens leads the Rose with 19 points. Rhyne Howard leads the Vinyl with 19 points.
Unrivaled halftime score: Vinyl 37, Rose 32
Rhyne Howard scored a three-pointer to close out the second quarter, and the Vinyl rebounded from a first-quarter deficit to take a 37-32 lead over the Rose at halftime.
Howard leads the Vinyl with 13 points, while Dearica Hamby has eight points and five rebounds in the first half.
Chelsea Gray, who scored an Unrivaled record 39 points in Sunday’s semifinal against the Laces, has just three points in the first half. But she is fueling the Rose with six assists.
Brittney Sykes has 14 points, while Azurá Stevens has 13 points and nine rebounds for the Rose.
Unrivaled first quarter score: Rose 19, Vinyl 16
Chelsea Gray showed some flair with a no-look pass to Azurá Stevens as the Rose jumped out to a 19-16 lead over the Vinyl at the end of the first quarter.
Stevens leads the Rose with eight points and five rebounds, while Gray has three points and three assists.
Dearica Hamby has six points, a rebound and two steals in the first quarter for the Vinyl.
What time does Unrivaled playoff game begin Monday?
The Rose and Vinyl will begin at 7:30 p.m ET.
How to watch Unrivaled championship game?
The Unrivaled title game is available on TNT and TruTV on cable television, and to live stream on Max in the United States.
Angel Reese unlikely to play in Unrivaled championship due to injury
Reese, of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, is unlikely to play in Monday’s game for the Rose club after injuring her surgically repaired left hand during the Unrivaled regular-season finale last week. Reese watched from the sidelines as the Rose beat the Lunar Owls on Sunday, wearing a brace on her left hand.
How the Rose reached Unrivaled final game
Chelsea Gray scored an Unrivaled high 39 points, including a game-winning three pointer, to help the Rose beat the No. 3 Laces 73-67 in the first semifinal Sunday. The Rose used a 23-12 third quarter to overcome a 40-27 at halftime, and outscored the Vinyl 13-5 in the fourth quarter to win despite having no other player score in double figures.
How the Vinyl reached Unrivaled final game
Dearica Hamby scored a driving layup over league MVP Napheesa Collier to help the Vinyl upset the No. 1 seed Lunar Owls 73-70 during the second semifinal game Sunday. Rhyne Howard led the Vinyl with 23 points, while Jordin Canada scored 10 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 62-52 deficit after the third quarter. Hamby finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds in the win. Collier scored 36 points with eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the loss.
Rose-Vinyl final features Unrivaled women coaches
It’s almost fitting Unrivaled’s first final will feature Rose coach Nola Henry and Vinyl coach Teresa Witherspoon — the only two women coaches in the league. Henry led the Rose to the No. 2 seed after a 1-4 start, while Witherspoon led the Vinyl to the title game as the lowest playoff seed in the four-team field.
Rose-Vinyl season series
The Rose leads the season-series over the Vinyl 2-1, heading into the Unrivaled championship game.
The Vinyl beat the Rose 79-73 on opening night (Jan. 18) behind Rhyne Howard’s 33 points with Dearica Hamby’s 17 points and 13 rebounds.
The Rose beat the Vinyl 61-55 behind Chelsea Gray’s 26 points on Feb. 18. And in the March 10 regular season finale, the Rose dominated the Vinyl 74-46.