Unrivaled President Aims to Prove New Basketball League Is No Gimmick: Q&A

"We're at a time where we can actually somewhat enjoy now the basketball part of this."

Those were the words of Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell regarding the upcoming debut of the Unrivaled Basketball League, which tips off January 17 from Miami.

The much-hyped 3-on-3 league that was founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart features many of the top women's basketball players in the world and has been the subject of much discussion heading into the official launch.

Bazzell sat down with Women's Fastbreak on SI to talk about what went into getting to this point, what fans should expect when the action commences, and what's in store for the league's future.

What do you think fans might get that they weren't expecting when they actually see the product live?

Alex Bazzell: One, you're gonna see a high level of competition. When you think about 3-on-3 I think the first thing you think about is half-court. Our game is not that. Certainly it's a little bit faster paced. You're going to see a lot more strategy than maybe you think. And I think you're going to see a lot more of the normal actions of basketball kind of coming to fruition. Because basketball is played in actions of three, so you're going to see that a lot more.

There's been talk about the access and the reality aspect of it. Is that something that has annoyed you at all, people saying it's 'Reality TV' when you're actually focused on the game?

AB: At the end of the day there's going to be narratives of what it is and what it isn't until people see the product, all it's going to be is just kind of assumptions. If you're inside the building, you're seeing that the number one focus here is player development. That is our background. It's what we want from our athletes. It's a lot more basketball-oriented. There's a balance. You have to entertain. Sports is an entertainment environment. This isn't a gimmick. We're not here just trying to do clickbait stuff. Our influence and our entertainment come because it's a lot of the top women in the world who play basketball at the highest level.

The players have been accessible. Jimmy Butler was there with Satou Sabally. Angel Reese asked Marina Mabrey whether she asked for a trade because of her. Has that been part of the strategy to embrace new media in that way?

AB: I think it's just naturally been because of the athletes. Everyone has different personalities. You want everyone to feel comfortable. We didn't want to create a fish bowl. We still wanted athletes to have their privacy. But I think what the difference is as opposed to any other league is the fact that not only are they getting their paychecks but they're also having ownership and upside of the growth and popularity of this league and seeing it long-term. I think because of that it's opened the doors for all of this entertaining access that the players want to give, not necessarily that we're trying to pull from them.

How much were you quasi-salivating at this happening during WNBA free agency?

AB: It worked out really well. It's more curious because I'm a huge W fan. I'm intrigued to know where players are going. Jewell Loyd, who's in our building, Satou Sabally... it kind of threw us for a loop. We didn't know she was going to say that while she was here. The biggest thing that excites me about it is that the men have this kind of leverage and they have this kind of platform to talk about where they want to go and where they want to be. And I think you're going to see that playing out more consistently because that's what's happening in real-time within the WNBA.

Part of success in the business world is sponsorships. I think how many you've acquired has cut through publicly. Samsung has come in as a presenting sponsor. What does that say about what you're building?

AB: It takes time. You have to find people that believe. Because we haven't played a game, no one knows what the product will necessarily look like. It all comes back to the athletes. We have a lot of the most popular players in the world. This is a business, you have to return the investment dollars — which is eyeballs. Samsung being our presenting [sponsor], they're front and center. They're powering the business. Our content creators are using the Samsung Galaxy. So it's not just a logo slap. It's not just throwing some money at it, it's helping shape the storytelling of the future of the league. I think the brands also want to help shed light on these players because they are so influential.

Speaking of players, Sabrina Ionescu was the last addition and caught people by surprise. How did that take place?

AB: Sabrina and I have had a relationship for a long time. I worked for Kobe [Bryant]. We were in the gym a lot together, so I've known her since she was a sophomore/junior at Oregon. Her and Napheesa became tighter during the Olympics. It was a lot of education. Players as high caliber as that want to make sure they're getting into the right thing for their own brand. You don't want to attach yourself to a circus. You don't want to attach yourself to a gimmick. You don't need to. I think it was a lot of conversations around that. I think inevitably with her, she wanted to maximize her offseason. Adam Harrington is one of our coaches, who works with Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler. They're close. It's another opportunity for her to keep improving on her craft. We didn't have to press it. Everyone has their own timeline. We are not here to pressure, we're here to extend an opportunity. And it worked out at the end where Sabrina was just getting back from her thumb surgery and she was going to be ready in time for the start of the season.

The deals for future players like Paige Bueckers and Flau'jae Johnson conveyed a 'We're here to stay' mentality. What was the thought process there?

AB: When young girls are kind of dominating in college, the next progression is 'I want to play in the WNBA'. We want to become that destination too. 'I want to play in the WNBA, I want to play in Unrivaled.' Those should be the two goals, not just one goal. It was making sure we attach ourselves early with the players. We can think about it differently because of the business. We can work on ownership that happens over time. Those three [presumably referencing the investment from JuJu Watkins as well] have ownership in the league and have upside from day one. And when they become eligible, they're ready to go.

You have most of the top players in the world. But Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson are not there. We know it's not tailored for them specifically but is part of the message and presentation to make sure everyone is involved in the future?

AB: You have one chance to make a first impression on anyone. It's not even the players that we don't have but it's the players here. We have to set an expectation and a standard of this is who we are and this is what to expect. All the players talk. Listen, I've been very blunt, whenever the time comes, if either of them wants to play they're going to have a spot. They're two of the best players in the world, regardless of what they bring to the business. They just are. I think in time, who knows? Maybe they never play, maybe they play next year. They know they have an invitation when they're ready.

Players have already come out talking about being impressed, even the reference to putting pressure on the WNBA in a sense. What's your reaction to comments like that?

AB: It's great that we are setting an expectation. But I don't think our goal here is to put pressure. It's not meant to be a LIV Golf, PGA [Tour] situation by any stretch. We think we're very complementary. In all honesty, we feel like we're just kind of finishing their calendar year. The WNBA is in a very short window of a season and you have seven months of an offseason. Even when you combine our seasons you have a longer offseason than any other league in the world other than the NFL. The WNBA has been great to us, you have seen the teams promoting what we're doing. We don't look at this as trying to be a thorn in the WNBA's side because of just how rapidly that's growing. We only want to help that. I think indirectly we help each other a ton. We're not here unless the WNBA is growing the way it is. And I think vice versa they're going to hit a skyrocketing ability because we're keeping that attention a little bit longer on these athletes.

The long awaited arrival of Unrivaled becomes reality later this week. The six basketball clubs start the season Friday in games that will be broadcast on TNT from the league's facility in Miami.

So hoops fans will soon have a chance to decide for themselves whether they believe the novelty will last and if Unrivaled can deliver on its intentions of being an institution in the women's basketball world that is here to stay.

Because as Bazzell made it clear, Unrivaled intends to deliver entertaining basketball, not gimmicks.