On the night of March 2, more than 18,200 people filled Barclays Center to watch the Unrivaled semifinals, with Wanda Sykes, Jason Sudeikis, Carmelo Anthony, Ashton Kutcher, and Issa Rae in the building as well. And while Anthony and Kutcher were already on the league’s investor list, Rae was in the crowd as a spectator back then. But now her name is on that list too. As reported by WNBA reporter Myles Ehrlich, Unrivaled has announced that actor, producer, and entrepreneur Issa Rae has officially joined the league as an investor.
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“Rae’s investment came as part of the league’s oversubscribed Series C fundraise, announced in August, which propelled the league to a $650 million valuation,” Ehrlich wrote on X.
It’s a fitting next step for the 41-year-old, who was only 16 when watching the romantic drama Love & Basketball ignited in her the urge and motivation to write a screenplay and send it directly to the film’s director, who wrote back to her. Years later, she has built a career across television and film. Insecure, the HBO series she created, co-wrote, and starred in, earned her Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2018, 2020, and 2022, and she has also won NAACP Image Awards for the role.
She has also been a club partner at San Diego FC since February 2025. And this year, she became part of the ownership group at LOVB Los Angeles, a professional women’s volleyball team. And besides the Unrivaled appearance, in October 2023, too, she was among the celebrities at Barclays Center for Game 4 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces.
“Unrivaled speaks to me and everyone who wants to set new standards,” Rae said. “And what the league has done and continues to do for the best women’s basketball players in the world is something I’m proud to invest in. After experiencing Unrivaled firsthand last season, it was clear that they’re building something special. I look forward to being part of the league’s growth and success to come.”
Unrivaled was co-founded in 2023 by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. During that foundational period, TNT Sports stepped in with a major investment that did more than provide capital; it secured a national television broadcasting deal that made the league significantly more attractive to future investors and established a level of visibility that set Unrivaled apart from other emerging sports properties.
Building on that momentum, Unrivaled closed an oversubscribed Series B financing round in September 2025 that catapulted the league’s valuation to $340 million.
Led by Bessemer Venture Partners, the round added new investors while also building on the league’s existing backing, which included figures such as Carmelo Anthony, Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures, and Ashton Kutcher. The league subsequently expanded to eight clubs and 54 players ahead of schedule, while its second season produced record attendance figures, including sold-out stops in Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
That trajectory culminated in August 2026, when Unrivaled announced an oversubscribed Series C round that surpassed its initial $100 million target and valued the league at $650 million. This round was led by Ten Pillars Sports Fund.
Among the most significant aspects of the league’s financial structure is the fact that its players are its largest shareholder group. Following the Series C round, in which Issa Rae participated, the player equity pool surged to nearly $200 million, ensuring that the athletes who make the product compelling are also directly positioned to profit from its long-term commercial success.
Season 3 of Unrivaled is scheduled to tip off in January 2027. Alongside the league’s continued growth, the upcoming season will also mark the beginning of a new partnership with adidas, which has come on board as the official uniform and performance apparel partner, replacing Under Armour, which outfitted the league during its first two seasons.
Crucially, the Adidas partnership extends beyond the court. The partnership will also bring a broader assortment of officially licensed Unrivaled merchandise, including authentic jerseys, performance apparel, and lifestyle collections, giving the league a significantly expanded commercial footprint heading into its third season.
The rate at which Unrivaled is growing — in valuation, viewership, talent, and now the calibre of its investors — makes it difficult to imagine the momentum slowing anytime soon. Issa Rae is unlikely to be the last high-profile name to come on board.