{"id":417754,"date":"2026-01-18T17:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T17:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/417754\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T17:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T17:40:08","slug":"natasha-clouds-unrivaled-wnba-backup-plan-idea-falls-apart-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/417754\/","title":{"rendered":"Natasha Cloud&#8217;s Unrivaled WNBA backup plan idea falls apart fast"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"52\">Unrivaled is a nice offseason option for players, but it is no WNBA replacement. That&#8217;s because the fledgling 3&#215;3 league lacks the history, established platform, geographic team identities and other factors that the WNBA provides. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"55\">In fact,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/womens-fastbreak\/analysis\/what-unrivaled-s-ratings-reveal-about-the-importance-of-the-wnba-01keyvhb77a6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> low early ratings <\/a>easily argue Unrivaled is dependent on buzz around the WNBA to carry over interest, something that is lacking this go around due to CBA negotiations putting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/womens-fastbreak\/wnba\/wnba-free-agency-pause-is-calm-before-storm-01kevss13n6m\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">league business on pause<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"58\">So, it was slightly concerning to hear New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud float the idea of continuing Unrivaled as a backup in the event of a WNBA lockout.  <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5b\">Cloud<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/womens-fastbreak\/wnba\/youtube.com\/watch?v=MEbnIRZKJSc&amp;feature=youtu.be\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> sat down with <\/a>the Be Great Academy Podcast and was asked what would happen in the event the 2026 WNBA season did not take place as scheduled.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5e\">&#8220;I know Unrivaled is prepared in so many different instances and the biggest one being that we own the space that we play in. So if we wanted to stay here year round as the players of Unrivaled, with equity in this league&#8230;we could stay here, train, play, put on another season if need be,&#8221; Cloud stated.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tasha Cloud sits down with the Be Great Academy Podcast to address how players could navigate a potential WNBA lockout.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe own the space we play in. If we wanted to stay here year-round as Unrivaled players with equity in this league, we can stay, train, play, and put on\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yaFyjyg3cK\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/yaFyjyg3cK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 haus hoops | wbb (@haushoops) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/haushoops\/status\/2012215734265332088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5k\">Cloud then went on to cite the new Project B international basketball league <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/onsi\/womens-fastbreak\/news\/new-women-s-basketball-league-project-b-is-officially-on-wnba-radar-01k9atk67rbz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">scheduled to start in the fall<\/a> to further her point.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5n\">&#8220;I&#8217;m so happy these entities are coming out here because now W[NBA] you have to move because there are challengers to you. You are not the sole entity of the best basketball players in the entire world anymore. There are other leagues that want to compete with you, and are you going to stand on business or are you not?&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>WNBA players should not overestimate leverage of other leagues<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01kf8wza7an2w5rv3me7.jpg\" alt=\"Rae Burrell and Chelsea Gray at Unrivaled\" title=\"Rae Burrell and Chelsea Gray at Unrivaled\" width=\"4482\" height=\"2521\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"5z\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Mar 17, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Rose BC guard Chelsea Gray (12) dribbles the basket past Vinyl BC guard Rae Burrell (12) during the fourth quarter of the Unrivaled Championship game at Wayfair Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"63\">While what Cloud said makes sense in theory, it falls flat in practice. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"66\">First, the idea that either Unrivaled or Project B can come close to garnering the WNBA&#8217;s marketshare is unrealistic, at least without many years of groundwork laid. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"69\">Again, the existence of those leagues has come in large part due to the WNBA&#8217;s recent surge. A surge that Caitlin Clark served as the catalyst for, and the Indiana Fever star has made it clear she only plans to play professionally in the WNBA.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6c\">This is a point Clark&#8217;s Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham (who is signed up for Project B) touched on in an episode of her Show Me Something podcast.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6f\">&#8220;Here&#8217;s the thing: All these leagues are great. But if you don&#8217;t have the W[NBA], you don&#8217;t have the platform. So you don&#8217;t have the eyes, you don&#8217;t have the recognition,&#8221; Cunningham stated.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6i\">Secondly, the WNBA is composed of many more players than either of the other presented alternatives. So what happens to the rank and file in the union who don&#8217;t have the option of those paydays, even in the short-term?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">The truth of the matter is a lockout or strike would be a disaster for all parties involved\u2014ownership and the players. And while players are correct to fight for more money, being paid more alone is not a business model without the engine of the WNBA propelling the growth that has made this new financial reality possible.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6o\">As a result, there is no viable alternative to ensuring a WNBA season happens as planned.<\/p>\n<p>Recommended Reading:<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Unrivaled is a nice offseason option for players, but it is no WNBA replacement. That&#8217;s because the fledgling&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-417754","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\/417754","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=417754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}