There are four words you’re bound to hear on any basketball court in any part of the world: “You can’t guard me.” It is occasionally used as a defense or as an insult, but it’s most often issued as a threat. Basketball may be a team sport, in which every player is interconnected and every action causes infinite reactions, but it’s also a series of discrete, individual battles that can be boiled down to one fundamental question: Do you really think you can check me?
For years, fans have fantasized about what it would be like to strip away the intricate offenses, dismantle the defensive schemes, and do away with the idea of hunting the “right” shot. Sometimes we just want to watch our favorite hoopers go at each other, and Unrivaled finally gave us our wish this week with the introduction of its 1-on-1 Tournament, which will conclude with the semifinals and championship game on Friday night.
The concept is diabolically simple, yet irresistible. Thirty players, five rounds. Games to 11, seven-second shot clock, inbounders at your disposal to give you the ball back after a miss. What’s at stake? Just the simple matter of a $350,000 prize pool, with the winner taking home $200,000, plus 10K to each of her Unrivaled teammates, 50K to the runner-up, and 25K each to the other semifinalists. Gone are the “Well, what if Tamika Catchings had to check Cheryl Miller?” or “Who is winning a shootout between Cynthia Cooper and Maya Moore?” hypotheticals. In their place, we have one of the best spectacles in pro basketball.
Without teammates, there’s nowhere to turn. If you’re not locked in, your opponent will smell it. Rolling into an arena knowing Napheesa Collier will be checking you is one thing; having to score on her repeatedly and get stops on the other hand is humbling. It’s riveting to watch how quickly cocky attitudes turn into hands gripping shorts after a few possessions.
For some, like semifinalists Phee and Azurá Stevens, the games expose the warrior contained behind the smiling face. For others, it’s a chance to prove their supremacy after being underrated. It is an ultimate test of ego vs. intimidation. Strategy vs. gamesmanship. Make the shot and show your opponent that the hoop is already looking like an ocean. Miss and risk psyching yourself out ahead of a win-or-go-home game with money on the line. And lest you think these are amiable affairs, there’s plenty of hard fouls and shit-talking to go around, and plenty of outlets to show bravado.
Intrigue comes from all angles. Despite some stumbling blocks and a lot of tired legs after 25 matchups, the product has truly delivered. We have been treated to a matchup between a player who just left Dallas—not that one—and her former teammate, some Husky on Husky violence, and confirmation that being a versatile big might just be the key to winning a quarter of a million dollars.
The very first night of action gave us one of the most captivating moments of the tournament, with cofounder of the league, reigning WNBA champion, and no. 1 seed Breanna Stewart getting blanked by the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, Aaliyah Edwards.
For those who didn’t tune into many Mystics games last season—and you’d be forgiven for opting out after their 0-12 start—it was the perfect reminder of what made Edwards such an interesting prospect and how deep the W’s talent pool is. Edwards is tall, locks in on defense, and even showed off an improved stroke that makes you wonder how she went 0-for-7 from 3 all of last season. And while Stewie took a lot of good-natured ribbing postgame for getting shut out, it showed that anybody can get it in this tournament. Championships and personal accolades don’t matter. If you aren’t ready, you will get cooked.
Admittedly, most of the matchups ended up being pretty chalk, with Edwards being joined by Collier, Stevens, and Arike Ogunbowale in the final four. But the lack of upsets hasn’t led to a lack of intrigue. The one-on-one format has given us a look into the psyches of these players. Williams, who lost to Collier in the quarterfinals, would mention at any opportunity that she was here for the cash and that any road to riches had to go straight through her. In recent years, the W has done a better job of advertising the attitude of its players, but rarely have we been afforded this sort of look into what having pride and money on the line means to each of these hoopers. Spare me the “we’re all just here to have fun and be competitive” platitudes and get down to what fans really want: watching their favorite players break the game down to its base elements to try to survive the gauntlet.
It’s also a perfect entry point for newer women’s hoops fans who are having trouble picking a WNBA team or favorite player to root for. If you’ve not watched a second of W basketball, each of these players has a compelling reason for fans to root for them. Arike’s shotmaking is legendary and, as the lone guard, it’s going to be fascinating watching how she navigates being guarded by long-armed defenders. Edwards is a great big whose name often gets lost among the Angel Reeses and Aliyah Bostons, so she has a point to prove. Stevens is beloved around the league and put up productive numbers (albeit for a bad Sparks team) after coming back from an arm injury last season. And Collier is a cofounder of Unrivaled and looking for revenge after losing a heartbreaking WNBA Finals Game 5 with the Lynx in October.
Not into the individual narratives? We have three former UConn players‚ all of whom are bigs with varying play styles—and one of the clutchest players to ever grace a basketball court in the semifinals. (Look away, Phee.)
Beyond narrative, the best part of one-on-one basketball is the stylistic clash. A smaller guard who can't hit the rim during knockout but fights like hell on defense vs. the silkiest shooter on the court who is just tall enough that your oldhead unc probably thinks they should “just get in the paint.” No two players are exactly alike and each individual matchup presents a new puzzle. Stevens vs. Phee is set to be a banger, with the former college teammates playing a cat-and-mouse game of who can stack up points behind the arc to avoid having to battle each other in the post like the kaijus in Pacific Rim. And Arike vs. Edwards gives us a top-seeded sharpshooter against the underdog big who will look to drag the guard into the paint at every opportunity.
At the same time that Arike will be trying to give Edwards buckets, the NBA will tip off another All-Star Weekend—this time with a rejiggered All-Star Game format that its own superstars are already blasting. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has tried almost everything to liven up the festivities, but, the league would do well to look at what Unrivaled’s got going on down in Miami. The men’s league has a history of taking ideas from its sister league, so why not steal an idea that seems to have real legs. Instead of watching dudes bomb away from 40 feet or make uncontested dunks, we could be getting THIS.
As it stands, the Unrivaled semifinals will start shortly after the NBA’s celebrity game tips off. So if you want to watch Kai Cenat and [checks notes] Pablo Schreiber from Paramount+’s Halo (??) brick shots for a couple hours, be my guest. The rest of us will be delightedly watching the best players in the world taking it to each other for the greatest prize in basketball: the ability to say “you can’t guard me” and mean it.
