Ninety minutes ahead of tip-off, Unrivaled was met with an enthusiastic reception in Philadelphia, even before the game started.
A crowd filled the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday night for a 3-on-3 event, marking the Miami-based league’s first stop in its second season, co-founded by Nafeesa Collier and Liberty star Brianna Stewart back in 2025.
One eager fan walked in and immediately asked, “So, where’s the merchandise?”
Another seemed overwhelmed by the multitude of options, exclaiming, “Oh my god, maybe not.”
This was a promising beginning, especially after the cancellation of Barnstorming was announced last October, with news in January that 21,000 seats had sold out.
Annabelle, a fan of Paige Bueckers, and her mother Roslyn, who lives in New York, snagged resale tickets just this week after Roslyn expressed a desire to visit Philadelphia someday.
This gave Annabelle a chance to see her favorite player live for the fourth time, having started to follow her after catching UConn highlights online last year.
“It’s the first time it’s been outside of Miami, so we expected a good turnout, but honestly, I didn’t think it would be this wild,” Annabelle shared.
Outside the merchandise shop, Unrivaled organized a media-style photo booth, set up a DJ booth, and even had a basketball hoop for practice.
It turned out to be easier to grab food and drinks than to get a jersey or make a jump shot, but the fans didn’t mind; after all, Philadelphia had been waiting for women’s professional basketball for 28 long years.
Lauren and her husband Steve, from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, made the trip because they’re passionate about women’s sports, especially college basketball, and have followed Unrivaled since its inception.
“Once it was announced, we immediately grabbed tickets,” Lauren remarked.
A report from Just Women’s Sports noted that ticket demand for this Unrivaled event outpaced that for the 76ers, with average ticket prices at $165—quite a bit more than the $85 average for the city’s NBA team.
On Thursday evening, Liberty Guard Natasha Cloud, originally from the Philadelphia area, shared a photo on her Instagram. She remarked, “I posted this mainly because there was some doubt about whether we should invest in women’s sports. Are people watching? Yes, everyone is.” She added, “Ticket prices show just how vibrant and in demand women’s basketball and women’s sports are right now.”
