Unrivaled Puts on Sellout Show at Barclays Center

3-on-3 basketball league draws record crowd in Brooklyn, 'felt like a W game'

Mar. 3, 2026 at 12:07am

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Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league, managed to draw a sellout crowd of 18,261 to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for its semifinal games, just a month after setting attendance records in Philadelphia. The event featured a star-studded crowd, including WNBA players and celebrities, and delivered an electric atmosphere that felt reminiscent of a New York Liberty game.

Why it matters

Unrivaled's ability to consistently draw large, enthusiastic crowds demonstrates the growing popularity of 3-on-3 basketball and the league's ability to capitalize on the passionate fan base in New York City. The event also showcased the league's potential to become a major player in the basketball landscape, challenging traditional formats and engaging fans in new and innovative ways.

The details

Despite having less than a month to sell tickets, Unrivaled managed to fill Barclays Center to capacity for its semifinal games. The event featured a star-studded crowd, including two-time Olympic gold medalist Hilary Knight, Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, soccer star Alex Morgan, and actors Ashton Kutcher and Issa Rae. The games themselves were also high-quality, with Kelsey Plum hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to punch Phantom's ticket to the championship game, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

  • Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler's cab pulled up to Barclays Center around 3 p.m. on Monday, March 2, 2026.
  • The doors to Barclays Center opened a few hours after fans had already started to line up outside the arena's main entrance.
  • Monday's semifinal games took place on March 2, 2026.

The players

Micky Lawler

The commissioner of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league.

Alex Bazzell

The president of Unrivaled.

Dearica Hamby

A forward for Vinyl BC, one of the teams competing in the Unrivaled games.

Kelsey Plum

A player for Phantom BC, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer to advance her team to the championship game.

Roneeka Hodges

The head coach of Phantom BC.

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What they’re saying

“To be honest with you, it was somewhat of an internal split room on should we pull the trigger on this?”

— Alex Bazzell, President of Unrivaled

“It was cool for Unrivaled to put this together with [short] notice. It felt like a W game… It's a unique situation to put this together in two weeks, and you would have had no idea the way it turned out.”

— Dearica Hamby, Vinyl BC forward

“Just to be clear, like, most respect. New York fans are different and I've always appreciated the competitiveness, so I welcome it with open arms.”

— Kelsey Plum

“Barclays was Barclays. New York was New York. It's always electric. It's always a show. It's even better when the basketball game is high quality, the product is good.”

— Roneeka Hodges, Phantom BC head coach

What’s next

The Unrivaled championship game is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at Barclays Center.

The takeaway

Unrivaled's ability to consistently draw large, enthusiastic crowds in major markets like New York and Philadelphia demonstrates the growing popularity of 3-on-3 basketball and the league's potential to become a major player in the sport. The electric atmosphere at Barclays Center, reminiscent of a WNBA Liberty game, showcases the league's ability to engage fans and deliver a high-quality basketball product.