Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull is returning to Unrivaled.
Hull, who is currently in the midst of a WNBA playoff run with the Fever, will return to the offseason 3-on-3 league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier for a second season, the league announced on Tuesday.
The former Stanford Cardinal played for Rose BC in Unrivaled's inaugural season, scoring 6.4 points per game as her team captured the championship. It shouldn't be a surprise that she's returning, considering how glowingly she spoke of the experience last year.
“Basketball wise, the best basketball players in the world are here,” Hull told Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. “It’s great to get to compete against them every single day. And then also have five others on your team that I haven’t had the chance to play with before, but been really grateful to be able to learn and go through this process with them.”
She will now join a league that's even more talented in year two, with two additional teams coming in and a six-player development pool to account for possible injuries. WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers is among the list of newcomers who will compete.
Unrivaled prepares for a bigger and better 2nd act
Unrivaled didn't initially intend to expand in year two — the league was thinking year three was more realistic. But with a successful first season in the books and additional funding to go along with a $340 million valuation, things were allowed to move a little faster.
“Expanding a year earlier than planned is a testament to the strong business model we’ve built and the potential Unrivaled has for long-term success,” Unrivaled President of Basketball Luke Cooper said earlier this month. “We outperformed every goal we set for the league in year one, and with the incredible talent we have returning paired with the influx of new stars, it was a no brainer to add two more clubs this season.”
Around the same time, league president Alex Bazzell told ESPN that Unrivaled had nearly doubled its revenue projections in year one. That not only allows the league to grow faster but also expands opportunities for the players involved.
“They are going to reap the benefits of these growing valuations, not just, ‘oh, congrats, good job,' and ‘you'll get better resources,'” Bazzell said. “Our whole brand ethos is coming into effect and improving itself in a short amount of time.”
