New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart didn’t just imagine a better future for women’s basketball – she built it. This year, Stewart was named one of Sports Illustrated’s Innovators of the Year alongside Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier. An honor reserved for those who reshape sports through bold leadership in business, technology, or performance. For Stewart and Collier, the recognition celebrates a vision that has already begun to change the professional women’s basketball landscape: Unrivaled, the groundbreaking, player-owned league they co-founded. Launched in January 2025, Unrivaled introduced a radically different model for basketball and professional sports. Built around a player-first, player-owned structure, the league gives participating athletes equity opportunities, ensuring they are invested not only in competition, but in the long-term success of the business itself. Unrivaled features many of the top women’s basketball players in the world competing across eight clubs in a fast-paced
