Serena Williams Unrivaled investment brings league value to $340M


Serena Williams introduces Maria Sharapova during the 2025 Induction Celebration weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on Aug. 23, 2025.

Joe Buglewicz | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Women’s 3-on-3 basketball league Unrivaled is now valued at $340 million after a new funding round that included tennis legend Serena Williams, the league announced Monday.

Williams’ Serena Ventures was part of a Series B funding round that was led by Bessemer Venture Partners and also included Warner Bros. Discovery and Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures. Unrivaled did not disclose the size of the individual contributions.

Unrivaled’s latest cash infusion means a dramatic rise in its valuation from just one year ago when the league was valued at $95 million, according to a person familiar with the league who spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal matters.

The investment comes as women’s sports have soared in both popularity and valuations in recent years.

“To add arguably the most iconic female athlete to play sports, I think it exemplifies who Unrivaled is not just with our players on the court, but the number of investors on our cap table who had been icons in their own lanes,” said Alex Bazzell, co-founder and president of Unrivaled.

Angel Reese, #5 of Rose, goes up for a shot against Napheesa Collier, #24 of the Lunar Owls, during the second half at Wayfair Arena in Medley, Florida, on Feb. 21, 2025.

Rich Storry | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Other Unrivaled investors include high-profile names such as tennis legend Billie Jean King, NBA superstar Stephen Curry, tennis champion Coco Gauff and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Bessemer has previously invested in ticketing resale site StubHub, as well as streaming services BallerTV and Twitch. The venture firm sees Unrivaled as a blueprint for the next generation of sports leagues, according to Caty Rea, a vice president at Bessemer.

“We always look for category-defining businesses with generational tail winds and really audacious founders who kind of have that product hard to fit,” Rea said. “We felt like we found that with Unrivaled.”

Unrivaled was founded in 2023 and offers women’s professional basketball players a league that runs in the offseason of the WNBA. Previously, many players went abroad in the offseason for extra compensation.

Get the CNBC Sport newsletter directly to your inbox

The CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Subscribe here to get access today.

The league says it offers women the highest average salary in professional women’s sports history and provides equity to players.

For comparison, the WNBA does not offer its players equity, and players are currently negotiating their collective bargaining agreement, which expires Oct. 31. One of the key issues being debated is an increase in player compensation. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told CNBC in July that the average WNBA team valuation has increased to about $260 million.

Bazzell said the new funding will be used to add more resources to the league’s facilities, for developmental efforts and to create additional awareness of the league as it heads into its second season.

“We’ve built a sustainable and sticky audience, both on television and certainly on social. So now we have to grow that footprint,” he said.

Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO


Related Posts

Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill launch draws new wave of patients to GLP-1s

After years of trying to lose weight “the right way,” Jane Zuckerman realized that “putting in the work just wasn’t enough.”  Zuckerman, a 32-year-old data analyst based in Washington, D.C.,…

Iran war upends spring housing

A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Missed

Anthropic launches Project Glasswing to test advanced AI for cybersecurity | Technology News

  • By admin
  • April 8, 2026
  • 0 views
Anthropic launches Project Glasswing to test advanced AI for cybersecurity | Technology News

Adventures in health care billing. My $51.96 zit co-insurance – The Health Care Blog

  • By admin
  • April 8, 2026
  • 0 views
Adventures in health care billing. My $51.96 zit co-insurance – The Health Care Blog

BCCI urged to act immediately, hand Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his India cap after 15-year-old forces Bumrah into doubt

  • By admin
  • April 8, 2026
  • 0 views
BCCI urged to act immediately, hand Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his India cap after 15-year-old forces Bumrah into doubt

Raaka: Allu Arjun goes bald, sports animal claws in jaw-dropping first look at Atlee’s AA22 X A6; fans stunned

  • By admin
  • April 8, 2026
  • 0 views
Raaka: Allu Arjun goes bald, sports animal claws in jaw-dropping first look at Atlee’s AA22 X A6; fans stunned

Deepika Padukone hits back at Dhurandhar 2 ‘silent treatment’ chatter, says she watched it ‘before any of you did’: ‘Now who is the joke on?’ | Bollywood News

  • By admin
  • April 8, 2026
  • 0 views
Deepika Padukone hits back at Dhurandhar 2 ‘silent treatment’ chatter, says she watched it ‘before any of you did’: ‘Now who is the joke on?’ | Bollywood News

US calls Iran ceasefire a ‘victory’, says Operation Epic Fury met goals early | World News

  • By admin
  • April 8, 2026
  • 2 views
US calls Iran ceasefire a ‘victory’, says Operation Epic Fury met goals early | World News