Paige Bueckers Selected No. 1 in Unrivaled Draft
The Unrivaled season begins on January 5, featuring several games in Philadelphia starting January 1. For the second time this year, Paige Bueckers secured the first overall pick, chosen by The Breeze in Wednesday's draft.
New Teams and Draft Structure
The Breeze is one of two new teams in the 3-on-3 league, which primarily holds its winter games in Miami. The other expansion team, The Hive, received the No. 2 pick and selected Kelsey Mitchell.
Players were organized into six position-based groups: guards, wings, and forwards. The draft consisted of six rounds, with picks alternating across the eight teams.
Team Rosters After Draft
- The Breeze: Paige Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, Aari McDonald, Kate Martin, Cameron Brink.
- The Hive: Kelsey Mitchell, Sonia Citron, Ezi Magbegor, Natisha Hiedeman, Saniya Rivers, Monique Billings.
Player Protections from Last Season
The league allowed the four playoff teams from the previous season—The Rose, Lunar Owls, Vinyl, and Laces—to protect two players each who could not be drafted by the new expansion teams. The Phantom and Mist, who did not make the playoffs, were allowed to protect one player each.
Returning Stars on Established Teams
- The Rose (defending champions): Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Lexie Hull, Azura Stevens, Shakira Austin, Sug Sutton.
- Lunar Owls: Marina Mabrey, Aaliyah Edwards, Rebecca Allen, Rachel Banham, co-founder Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins.
"The Breeze is one of two new clubs for the 3-on-3 league that plays in Miami in the winter."
"The league let the four playoff teams from last season [...] protect two players from their rosters who couldn't be drafted by one of the expansion teams."
Author's summary: Paige Bueckers was the top pick in the Unrivaled draft as two new teams, The Breeze and The Hive, joined a competitive 3-on-3 league preparing for its January season start.