We’re halfway through Season 2 of Unrivaled.
At 6-1 with a +58 point differential, Laces are the top team in the league, ahead of second-place and 5-2 Mist. Phantom, Breeze and Rose sport matching 4-3 marks, although the Ghost Gang has the second-best point differential in the league with a +40 scoring margin. Vinyl and Hive sit at 2-5, leaving Lunar Owls, last year’s regular-season juggernaut, in last place at 1-6.
So, which players are most responsible for their clubs’ successes? Who is powering wins, or at least putting her team in the best position possible to triumph?
At midseason, amongst all the Unrivaled players who have been authoring excellent seasons, these standouts are, for now, most deserving of the hardware. Here are Swish Appeal’s selections for the All-Unrivaled First and Second Teams, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP and Coach of the Year.
All-Unrivaled First Team: Chelsea Gray (Rose), Paige Bueckers (Breeze), Allisha Gray (Mist)
The first name on the All-Unrivaled First Team, Rose’s Chelsea Gray, is undeniable. The Point Gawd repeatedly has reaffirmed her status as the Unrivaled GOAT. As she will come up again in these unofficial awards, we’ll stick to reciting her statistics for now.
Gray is Unrivaled’s leading scorer, averaging 29 points per game on 55.7 percent shooting. That’s the fourth-best mark in the league, trailing only bigs whose buckets come almost exclusively around the basket. Gray, however, not only does her work in the midrange, but she’s also taking over 7.5 3s per game, the third-most in Unrivaled. She’s hitting almost 53 percent from long range. Even with her increased scoring, Gray continues to embody her Point Gawd moniker, with her 6.4 assists per game tying for the league lead.
Rose averages 1.09 points per shot and 74 points per game, marks that rank second in the league and largely are thanks to Gray’s elite offensive orchestration.
On the First Team, Unrivaled’s GOAT has to be joined by the Baby GOAT, Breeze’s Paige Bueckers. It was easy to think that Paige would be good in Unrivaled. But this good?
Like Gray for Rose, Bueckers is responsible for being the do-it-all offensive engine for her club—and she’s firing on all cylinders. Bueckers sits atop the league’s assist leaderboard with Gray, and she even has two fewer turnovers than the Point Gawd. Paige also is a top-five scorer with just under 24 points per game. She’s one of the best rebounding guards at Unrivaled, grabbing 7.4 boards per game. And although she finally missed a couple, the Free Throw Challenge champ leads Unrivaled with 20 made free throws.
And most importantly, Bueckers has Breeze, Unrivaled’s youngest team, right in the middle of the playoff race.
In sunny Miami, it’s good to be Gray.
Mist’s Allisha Gray takes the third spot on the All-Unrivaled First Team. The high-volume bucket getter continues to take her offensive game to greater heights, all while remaining attentive and impactful on the defensive end. She’s exposes; she doesn’t get exposed.
Lish is the third-highest scorer at Unrivaled with 24.3 points per game. She’s shooting almost 38 percent on over 7.5 3s per game. Gray also gives Mist almost five rebounds, over three assists and more than a steal per game.
Her offensive potency has helped Mist become the highest-scoring offense through seven games, netting almost 75 points per night.
All-Unrivaled Second Team: Breanna Stewart (Mist), Brittney Sykes (Laces), Aliyah Boston (Phantom)
Breanna Stewart’s excellence often seems to be treated as mundane, resulting in her being overlooked for awards and honors because her trophy case already is overflowing.
For instance, despite playing through an injury, she still was one the best players in Unrivaled last season, even through she did not earn an All-Unrivaled selection. As she averaged a double-double of 19.4 points and 11.4 rebounds, plus over a steal and a block per game, it was far from her fault that Mist underachieved.
This season, Stewie’s as good as ever, with her contributions more likely to be appreciated on a much-improved Mist team. She’s averaging just shy of 20 points per game, along with over nine rebounds. And her scoring could get even better. Her 3-pointer, wayward since the 2024 WNBA season, has returned. A Stewie with a surer stroke is scary for opponents, and a near-lock for an All-Unrivaled honor.
Before the season, betting that one, or both, of Jackie Young or Alyssa Thomas would be Laces’ All-Unrivaled representative would have seemed like a sure thing. Instead, it’s quite clear that Brittney Sykes should be Laces’ honoree. For the league leaders, Jackie and AT, the club’s two returners, have had the privilege of picking their spots, blessed with a deep squad and Sykes’ scintillating scoring.
However, in contrast to her 2025 WNBA season, when Sykes posted career-best offensive numbers, Slim’s getting it done efficiently at Unrivaled.
Sykes is scoring over 20 points per game, complementing her drive game with an almost 44-percent performance from behind the arc. Sykes is also firing off nearly six triples per game. Although her shooting might not be sustainable, the season she has put together so far makes her All-Unrivaled worthy. She’s also a contributor to Laces’ league-best defense, leading her club with 1.7 steals per game.
A number of candidates could have claimed this final spot. As All-Unrivaled honors are, technically, rewards for individual, not club, performance, Lunar Owls’ stat-stuffing duo of Marina Mabrey, who is second only to C. Gray in scoring, and Aaliyah Edwards, a top-five scorer who also is leading the league in rebounding, deserve consideration. So does Vinyl’s two-season tandem of Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby. Hamby set the Unrivaled single-game record with the league’s first and only 40-ball, while Howard is putting up 20 points per game behind high-volume and high-efficiency 3-point shooting.
However, when distinguishing between a collection of deserving candidates, club quality becomes a factor. A player’s production just matters more if it leads to wins.
And among the highly-productive players on winning teams, Phantom’s Aliyah Boston is providing the most positive impact, edging out teammate Kelsey Plum. Dominique Malonga also warrants a shout out as a double-double machine for Breeze.
A hub on offense and anchor on defense, Boston is the epitome of a versatile two-way big. On offense, she not only posts up but also has passing chops, facility as a cutter and an improving 3-point stroke. Her screening, even if sometimes specious, also makes offense easier for her teammates. Defensively, she has the strength to hold her ground and prevent opponents from getting to their preferred spot. She then knows how to use her length to protect the rim, even as she is also capable of moving her feet and defending away from the basket. Furthermore, the irritation she causes opponents is a badge of honor. She’s annoying because she’s good.
All those intangibles also are complemented by tangible production. AB is almost averaging a double-double, with 18.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She’s, by far, Unrivaled’s stocks queen, totaling 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. Overall, she’s first in the league with 13 blocks and tied for sixth with nine steals.
While Phantom is winning due to consistent contributions for across their roster, they’ve also been at their best when Boston is on the floor.
Defensive Player of the Year: Breanna Stewart (Mist)
Should Defensive Player of the Year reward the best defender on the best defense? Or, should it spotlight the defender who has the biggest defensive lift, even if her club’s defense is not the best overall unit?
Here, the latter question is being answered, making Breanna Stewart the midseason response.
Sure, Aliyah Boston and Dominique Malonga have louder defensive stats, while Breeze’s Cameron Brink could also make a case. Stewart’s defensive playmaking numbers also are lower than those she tallied last season.
But, Mist’s defense just works when Stewie’s on the court.
Her ability to guard all over the floor, from protecting the rim to closing out on 3-pointer shooters, is enhanced by her communication and organization. She also deploys her long limbs to disrupt passing lanes, making it more difficult for opposing offensive players to operate because of how she crowds and contracts space.
Yes, Mist has strong perimeter defenders in Veronica Burton and Allisha Gray, meaning Stewie is not having to do everything. But with Alanna Smith’s severe fouling issues and Li Yueru’s more limited mobility, Stewart is Mist’s lone reliable big defender, and in the spaced-out setting of Unrivaled, having a player with size who can serve as the defensive foundation of a three-player unit is a necessity. Stewart expertly occupies that role for Mist.
Most Valuable Player: Chelsea Gray (Rose)
Really, what else is there to say about Chelsea Gray?
Rose may have slipped to 4-3, but without the Point Gawd, the Rosebuds might not have a single win. That is the truest, if inexact, measure of value.
Gray is her club’s statistical and spiritual leader, compiling a catalog of clutch plays that turn games trending towards defeats into inspiring victories. Yes, she sometimes adds unnecessary pizzaz to her passes. No, her jumper is not the prettiest. But, her ability to rise to the occasion is unmatched.
In Rose’s opening win over Lunar Owls, Gray scored all 11 fourth-quarter points. She ripped a victory from Vinyl with back-to-back 3-point daggers to secure another come-from-behind win. She scored 37 points and 36 points in consecutive games. She then made sure Rose did not drop a fourth-straight game with a 34-point, eight-assist and seven-rebound masterpiece.
She’s also writing the Unrivaled record book. Gray is the first player to reach 500 career points and 100 career assists. The story of Unrivaled cannot be told without Chelsea Lakeisha Gray.
Coach of the Year: Roneeka Hodges
When you take over the club that finished Season 1 in last place, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Phantom head coach Roneeka Hodges, however, has not simply exceeded low expectations. She’s maximizing her roster, getting production from all of the Ghost Gang with her strategic and instinctual decisions.
While every (active) player on Phantom is averaging at least 11 points per game, Hodges understands that the Kelsey Plum-Aliyah Boston pick and roll is the club’s best weapon. She’s found a way to optimize that two-player pairing, leading to Phantom’s league-best 1.10 points per shot attempt, without ostracizing the rest of the roster.
Hodges’ decision to start Tiffany Hayes alongside Plum and Boston, yet close by going with Natasha Cloud, Plum and Boston has proven effective. Early in games, Hayes juices Phantom with her almost unmatched athletic pop, as she can take almost any defender off the dribble and get to the rim on a dime. Closing with Cloud then steadies Phantom down the stretch of games, giving the Ghost a second point guard on the floor. Hodges also has Phantom taking expeditious advantage of Kiki Iriafen’s low-post scoring talents whenever the youngest member of the Ghost Gang is on the floor.
Hodges has cultivated a trust amongst her players as well, evident in the club’s willingness to share the ball. Phantom leads the league in assists and assisted shot rate. With 15.4 assists per game, over 53 percent of Phantom’s field goals have been assisted
With the second-best scoring margin at 5.7 points per game, the club and their coach have even more untapped potential. If Phantom realizes that all potential and rises to a higher spot in the standings by season’s end, Hodges capturing Coach of the Year honors might be guaranteed.
