Saniya Rivers ended her first WNBA season on a high note for the Connecticut Sun, and now she hopes to continue that in the offseason.
During her exit interview, she revealed to reporters that she planned to play in Unrivaled, the 3×3 women’s professional basketball league that begins its second season in January. Gabby Alfveby of Title IX Basketball was among those to report Rivers’ plans this offseason.
Unrivaled, which was founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, debuted last season with six teams. Recently, the league announced it was adding two new teams and would have a total of 54 players in 2026. The league expanded after it received new funding and a reported valuation of $340 million, per Forbes.
Rivers’ decision to play in Unrivaled has the potential to be a great one for her career development. With the WNBA and its players’ association negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, teams can’t make moves until the CBA is ratified. If negotiations drag out, players will be looking for places to play.
By joining Unrivaled, Rivers can play high-level games against WNBA players without having to go overseas. Doing so should accelerate her development as a player and help the Sun next season, as Rivers is part of the franchise’s future core. With only 54 spots, Rivers is getting a coveted opportunity to play more, make more money and prep for next season.
The Sun selected Rivers No. 8 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft. She is the highest drafted player in Wolfpack history. Rivers made an immediate impact on the Sun and earned more playing time as the season continued.
She played in 42 games, averaging 26.1 minutes. She averaged 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per game. She shot 40.7% from the floor, 34.1% from the 3-point line and 74.6% from the free-throw line.
Late in the season, Rivers set the Sun rookie record for most 3-point field goals made in a season, finishing the campaign with 43. She also became the rookie guard in WNBA history to finish a season with a combination of 100 steals and blocks in a season. She had 62 steals and 38 blocks to finish at 100 combined.
Rivers played three years at NC State after transferring from South Carolina as a freshman. She left NC State No. 9 all-time in blocks (109), No. 12 in steals (189) and No. 15 in assists (354). In her final season in Raleigh, she was named all-ACC first team and defensive team for the second straight campaign and was a WBCA all-America honorable mention.
In three seasons she became the only NC State player to finish with at least 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 350 assists, 180 steals and 100 blocks for a career. With Rivers the Wolfpack went 79-25 in three seasons, which included a berth in the 2024 Women’s Final Four.