{"id":391621,"date":"2026-01-06T11:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T11:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/391621\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T11:31:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T11:31:31","slug":"4-wnba-stars-with-something-extra-to-prove-this-unrivaled-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/391621\/","title":{"rendered":"4 WNBA stars with something extra to prove this Unrivaled season"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Unrivaled set to get underway<\/a>, there are a few players that should be on everyone’s radar. One of the perks of this league is that you have some of the best WNBA players all in one place. This means a lot of free agents working together, for teams, fans, and the players themselves to see. It would not surprise me one bit if Unrivaled played a role in which players go where during the WNBA offseason. <\/p>\n

With that being said, there are some WNBA<\/a> players with lots to prove while at Unrivaled. Whether that be to a potential new team or to their current team. Here are four stars that can show their worth during Unrivaled. <\/p>\n

Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings<\/p>\n

Ogunbowale has been a staple for the Dallas Wings since they drafted her No. 5 overall in 2019. Last season was one of her least efficient since entering the league, averaging 15.5 points per game \u2014 the lowest of her career. Her and Dallas newcomer Paige Bueckers just seemingly could not become the dominant backcourt that people thought they would be. <\/p>\n

Rumors have been swirling that Dallas will build around Bueckers and whoever they pick at No. 1 in the upcoming draft. This gives Ogunbowale the chance to join a new team and reignite her career. But I believe it starts at Unrivaled. She was unable to finish last season with Dallas due to injury, causing her to sit out of their last 12 matchups. <\/p>\n

Surely, she’s excited to be back on the court, but she also wants to show everyone that her numbers last season do not necessarily showcase her talent. Unrivaled might serve as a reminder of how good she is, possibly to an expansion team<\/a>, as some believe that’s where she’ll end up. <\/p>\n

Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks\"Cameron<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Sparks v Phoenix Mercury | Barry Gossage\/GettyImages<\/p>\n

At Unrivaled, Cameron Brink will be pairing up with some of the brightest young stars taking over the WNBA right now, like Paige Bueckers, Dom Malonga, and her LA teammate Rickea Jackson. During training camp, we’ve seen the buzz around Breeze BC’s<\/a> squad growing rapidly. This is an energetic bunch who are ready to prove themselves against some prominent W vets. <\/p>\n

Out of all these young players, I think Cameron Brink has the most to prove. Brink’s rookie campaign was cut short after showing promise, due to an ACL tear. After recovering, she returned to the lineup last season, where she had some good games. However, she was plagued by additional injuries, including an ankle injury and a broken nose, which ultimately limited her to 19 games in 2025.<\/p>\n

She’s coming into Unrivaled seemingly healthy, and without having played like we’re used to in quite a bit. We all remember Cameron Brink as a defensive machine, and I am sure she wants to remind everyone of exactly that. <\/p>\n

Aaliyah Edwards, Connecticut Sun\"Aaliyah<\/p>\n

Connecticut Sun v Atlanta Dream | Adam Hagy\/GettyImages<\/p>\n

Edwards is another young star waiting to emerge in the WNBA. After the Washington Mystics drafted her at No. 6 overall in 2024, she started in 17 of their games. Overall, she showed a promising rookie season, averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. 2025 was a bit of a different story. Washington traded her midseason to Connecticut, where she had a couple of good games. But it just seems like Edwards is on the brink of proving herself to be a valuable roster piece. <\/p>\n

Last year, at Unrivaled, she showed incredible promise. She made it to the final of the 1-on-1 tournament after defeating WNBA vets like Breanna Stewart and Arike Ogunbowale. I believe Unrivaled is the perfect place for her to continue improving her game. This season, she will pair up with dominant players like Skylar Diggins and her Connecticut teammate Marina Mabrey. This will hopefully allow her to prove she belongs with the best of them and to boost the chemistry with Mabrey. She already showed out during the Lunar Owls’ scrimmage, putting up 30 points. If this continues, she could give the Sun no choice but to give her a chance next season. <\/p>\n

Marina Mabrey, Connecticut Sun\"Marina<\/p>\n

Connecticut Sun v Atlanta Dream | Andrew J. Clark\/ISI Photos\/GettyImages<\/p>\n

This one is more about leadership over game and skill, as we know, Marina Mabrey is consistent. Mabrey is a part of the Lunar Owls at Unrivaled this season. Unfortunately, the club lost Napheesa Collier due to injury<\/a>, and she will sit out the entirety of the season. There’s no doubt that they will be feeling the impacts of this. Phee is a natural leader, and surely that would have been her part for the Lunar Owls. Now, players like Skylar Diggins and Marina Mabrey will most likely need to step into that role for the club. <\/p>\n

Mabrey spent 2025 with the Connecticut Sun, but it’s clear that before the season, she did not necessarily want it that way. Last offseason, Mabrey requested to be traded<\/a>, but the Sun denied her. So, she spent the year as a primary starter for Connecticut. She fell into a bit of a leadership role as one of the most seasoned players on their roster \u2014 now she has the chance to really build on that.<\/p>\n

She seemingly had a good season, so it is unclear if she will re-examine leaving the Sun this offseason. Nonetheless, I believe having her more of a leadership role at Unrivaled will be great. If Tina Charles retires during this offseason, Mabrey’s role with Connecticut will most likely grow. But, as a free agent, this will prove to other teams looking for a skilled veteran that she is a great option. <\/p>\n

More women’s basketball news and analysis:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Unrivaled set to get underway, there are a few players that should be on everyone’s radar. One…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-391621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}