Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images
Courtney Vandersloot, one of the greatest point guards in WNBA history, will be headed to Miami to play in the new professional 3×3 basketball league.
In an effort to allow WNBA players to stay in the U.S. during the offseason, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are launching Unrivaled Basketball League, a new 3×3 basketball league for the sport’s top stars. The league will take place in Miami starting in January, and will include six teams with five players each for a total of 30 players.
Rather than simply announcing the full roster of participants, Unrivaled Basketball League has soft launched players’ names on social media, one name at a time over the course of the last few months. On Monday, the league announced that Courtney Vandersloot is the latest addition to the mix.
Vandersloot, the starting point guard on the New York Liberty, is a five-time all-Star and a seven-time WNBA assists leader. She has the second-most assists of any player in WNBA history, This season, the 35-year-old is averaging 6.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game, and the Liberty have the WNBA’s top record.
Vandersloot becomes the oldest participating player in Unrivaled Basketball league, indicating that other more veteran players could also join. She’s played overseas for the most of her professional career, but now opts to stay in the U.S. during the WNBA offseason.
20 WNBA players have announced their participation in Unrivaled Basketball League
So far, 20 players have announced their participation in Unrivaled Basketball League, representing every WNBA team with the exceptions of the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics. Napheesa Collier has already confirmed that two of the remaining players will be rookies.
Courtney Vandersloot becomes the second Liberty player to publicly participate, joining teammate and league co-founder Breanna Stewart.
Here’s a full list of the participating players:
Allisha Gray (Dream)
Angel Reese (Sky)
Arike Ogunbowale (Wings)
Breanna Stewart (Liberty)
Chelsea Gray (Aces)
Courtney Vandersloot (Liberty)
Dearica Hamby (Sparks)
DiJonai Carrington (Sun)
Jackie Young (Aces)
Jewell Loyd (Storm)
Kahleah Copper (Mercury)
Kayla McBride (Lynx)
Kelsey Plum (Aces)
Marina Mabrey (Sun)
Napheesa Collier (Lynx)
Natasha Cloud (Mercury)
Rhyne Howard (Dream)
Rickea Jackson (Sparks)
Satou Sabally (Wings)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (Storm)
