Unrivaled promised to be different, different from the standard women’s basketball leagues have set. It’d be a faster, cleaner, player-first tournament. But just a few days into its second season, an uncomfortable similarity already surfaced, and it’s the same issue players have been facing for years in the WNBA.

Officiating.

This concern comes into the spotlight after FOS reporter Annie Costabile bluntly wrote on X: “One similarity between the WNBA & Unrivaled: officiating needs work.”

Two days ago, Cameron Brink’s Unrivaled debut was limited to only 7 minutes as she found herself in foul trouble. In a game between the Breeze BC and the Phantom BC, she entered late in the first quarter and picked up her first whistle within 40 seconds while defending Kiki Iriafen on a drive. It didn’t stop there.

Two more fouls followed in rapid succession, one on a loose-ball tie-up, another on a contested shot, giving her three fouls before the quarter even ended.

When Brink returned to the court in the third quarter, the whistles continued. A moving screen call came seconds after she checked in, followed by another foul, battling for a rebound. Five fouls in just seven minutes, and her night and her impact were effectively over.

For a player whose value lies in rim protection, physicality, and presence, this kind of whistle doesn’t just limit production; it forces them to adapt to a different style of play where their impact is minimal.

That’s where the parallel with the WNBA becomes hard to ignore. Officiating has been a lingering issue for the players, so much so that it has resurfaced again during CBA talks as players push for better standards across all aspects of the league.

Even last year, in the first-ever season of Unrivaled, Angel Reese’s physical style repeatedly drew tight calls, often sending her to the bench early with foul trouble. Several of those games followed a familiar pattern: Reese establishing inside position, absorbing contact, and still being penalised for playing through it. She also made history by becoming the first player to be ejected from the 3v3 league.

The result was muted on-court impact and frustration among fans who felt the league’s most physical forward was being officiated out of her natural game.

So if this becomes a trend, Unrivaled risks inheriting the same frustration it had to escape. The timing couldn’t have been worse. As the WNBA and the WNBPA remain locked in CBA negotiations centered on revenue sharing and compensation, long-simmering issues around officiating have resurfaced in the background.

What makes this moment especially ironic is that co-founder Napheesa Collier had recently made a bold statement.

Napheesa Collier points to Unrivaled as proof of a sustainable model amid the CBA battle

Back on January 5, on Unrivaled’s opening day, Collier, who’s sidelined this season due to ankle surgeries, during a mid-game interview said:

“Well, our (CBA) deadline is coming up right now, in a couple of days,” Collier said. “I think you’ve heard a lot of chatter about what we’re asking for is not sustainable for the business. Being on this side, with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. So I think if they can’t find a model that makes that happen, they need to put people in place who can. Because we’ve proven that it is possible. There is a way. And we’re thriving in that.”

Collier’s comments underscore the broader connection between Unrivaled and the WNBA. If the WNBA wants to evolve in player experience, sustainability, or revenue distribution, she is essentially saying the blueprint already exists. Her offseason league has demonstrated that a player-focused model can thrive without sacrificing financial or operational stability, even as WNBA stars demand more consistent officiating and equitable compensation in their negotiations.

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However, the WNBA and the WNBPA have failed to reach an agreement before the January 9 deadline.

The league has proposed a temporary moratorium to avoid more complications, which would freeze key league mechanisms, including free agency, qualifying offers, and core player designations. That would leave nearly 70% of players unable to formally negotiate or finalize where they’ll play next, effectively putting roster movement on hold until a new CBA is reached.

The league’s rationale is to prevent teams and players from making decisions under the current agreement that could later conflict with new rules on contracts, revenue sharing, or player protections once a deal is finalized.