Pretty much everything went right for Napheesa Collier during the debut season of Unrivaled.
Collier was already the league’s co-founder and the winner of its inaugural one-on-one tournament. Now, she’s the league’s first MVP.
The honor was revealed Sunday when the league announced its first-ever set of awards. Collier received the most combined votes from Unrivaled players and coaches, as well as from fans and a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Collier enters Unrivaled’s postseason leading the league in points (25.7), field goals made (10.4) and steals (two) per game. She was also top-five in blocks and rebounds as the Lunar Owls finished the regular season a league-best 13-1.
“I couldn’t do any of this without my teammates,” Collier said in a statement. “This has been such an incredible season, and everyone played a part in our success, from the coaches and training staff to the staff behind the scenes. I’m so proud of this club and am honored to be the first-ever Unrivaled MVP.”
Collier will look to guide the Lunar Owls to the league’s first championship. They take on Vinyl Basketball Club in the second semifinal Sunday night. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Reese wins Defensive Player of the Year
Rose Basketball Club forward Angel Reese was named Unrivaled’s defensive player of the year.
Rose allowed a league-low 65.2 points per game, with Reese serving as its defensive anchor. She led Rose with eight blocks, the fifth most during the league’s inaugural season, and led Unrivaled with 12.1 rebounds per game.
She recorded the first 20-point, 20-rebound game in league history, en route to Rose recording the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, which started Sunday.
God, thank you for getting me through the highs & lows! 🙏🏽
Be where your feet are & allow yourself growth! https://t.co/TDuXA6k8Sb— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) March 15, 2025
Lunar Owls’ Sackmann wins Coach of the Year
After leading the Lunar Owls to a league-best 13-1 record, DJ Sackmann was named Unrivaled’s coach of the year. The Lunar Owls opened the season 8-0 and finished with three of the top nine scorers.
In addition to leading the league in offense, averaging 80.7 points per game, the Lunar Owls forced a league-high 10 turnovers per game. Unrivaled finished the regular season with a plus-137 point differential.
“I’m so grateful to receive this award, but it’s really for the players and our assistant coach, Maggie Rosario,” Sackmann said in a statement. “Without them, none of this would be possible. It was a big learning curve for me, and having players who have high basketball IQs who are easy to coach made this really special. Shoutout to our squad.”
Gray, McBride, Collier headline All-Unrivaled first-team
League MVP Collier was one of three players selected to the All-Unrivaled first team. She was joined by Rose guard Chelsea Gray and Laces wing Kayla McBride. Gray led Unrivaled with 5.4 assists per game, also averaging 21.3 points and knocking down a league-best six game-winning shots. McBride was third in total scoring, averaging 22.2 points per game.
Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, Vinyl wing Rhyne Howard and Reese were named to the All-Unrivaled second team. Diggins-Smith averaged 17.9 points and was second with 4.8 assists per game. Howard was fourth in scoring (20.5 points), blocks (0.85) and steals (1.2) per game. In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Reese was second in the league in double-doubles (eight).
(Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
