Welcome to our Sparks Unrivaled Update Series! There are four Sparks players participating in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. We will be doing a weekly recap on how these players are doing in Miami as they play some 3x3 basketball in a competitive environment during theWNBAoffseason.
It was championship weekend in Unrivaled and with Rose featuring Azurá Stevens and Vinyl having Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell, there was plenty of Sparks representation in these pivotal games.
Both teams won their semifinal matchups, guaranteeing that an L.A. player would win the first Unrivaled title. That player ended up being Stevens, who stepped up big for Rose, scoring 18 points and grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds in the final game.
Before putting a bow on this season of Unrivaled, let’s take one last look at how each Sparks player did during this final weekend of 3x3 action.
Team Vinyl
Hamby was sensational for Vinyl in their semifinal contest. She scored 16 points, including the game-sealing basket, to help the team defeat the heavy favorites, the Lunar Owls.
Hamby also cleaned up the glass better than Windex, grabbing 15 rebounds. She was a bit quieter in the title game, scoring just eight points, but overall, her time in Unrivaled demonstrated why she’s one of the best basketball players on the planet.
Burrell had 11 points in Vinyl’s win over the Lunar Owls and was essentially a non-factor in the championship game with just four points in ten minutes of play.
She didn’t dominate like others at Unrivaled, but she made progress and growth on and off the court. Hamby has noticed and shared her thoughts on Burrell’s game on Twitter.
Rae. My child. I’m so proud of you. Thank you for trusting me… and keeping me on my toes allowing me to lead and love you. You were def the test dummy the ying to yang. We make each other better!!! the leap you took in a short period of time…. Only few know. Love you!! pic.twitter.com/hSBhhM2EAo
— Dearica Marie Hamby (@dearicamarie) March 18, 2025
Team Rose
With Angel Reese out for the semis with a hand injury, Rose needed Stevens to step up.
She did just that, helping Rose win it all this weekend, starting with the 63-57 semifinal victory over the Laces. In the win, she had a game-high 11 rebounds and scored eight points in her 14 minutes of play.
Her double-double in the title game was enormous. The game was a tight contest until her teammates Chelsea Gray and Brittney Sykes went on a scoring rampage in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Stevens won a WNBA title with the Chicago Sky back in 2021 and now she can add an Unrivaled championship to her resume.
What’s next?
Unrivaled’s inaugural season was a success and next year should be even better. The Sparks will have Cameron Brink playing for the Lunar Owls adding to list of L.A. players participating in this league to five.
Before that happens, we have a WNBA season to play and that will begin in April.
With so many Sparks players participating in Unrivaled this year, hopefully, they can turn this experience into a banner season for Los Angeles as they look to return to postseason play in the WNBA.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at@ECreates88or on Bluesky at@ecreates88.bsky.social.