Dwyane Wade Reflects on Missed Investment Opportunity in Women’s Basketball League

CHICAGO, Ill. — Dwyane Wade, a retired NBA superstar turned investor, is eyeing future opportunities in women’s professional basketball after admitting to missing out on a significant investment in the new league, Unrivaled.

Earlier this month, the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league announced that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry joined its list of investors. In a statement, Curry expressed, “I am incredibly proud to be joining the Unrivaled family as the league continues to set a new standard for how women’s professional sports should operate.”

Curry’s investment was part of the league’s Series A funding round, which raised more than $28 million last December, complemented by an additional $7 million from its seed round. To date, Unrivaled has successfully secured a total of $35 million in funding.

The league’s debut season was a resounding success, averaging 221,000 viewers on TNT and truTV, with all its games sold out at the newly built 850-seat Wayfair Arena. The inaugural season garnered over 11.9 million total viewers and featured the ten most-watched women’s basketball games on TNT.

Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell noted the league’s remarkable viewer retention. “If you look at our viewership, the fact that we’re holding is a real sign the product is sticking,” he said.

Wade, 43, spoke openly about his regret during a recent interview. He revealed that he had the chance to invest in Unrivaled early on when fellow player Napheesa Collier approached him. “When I first found out about it, I didn’t know what it was,” Wade admitted. “So I did not invest in the league. I had just invested in the WNBA.”

Despite understanding the limits of his financial portfolio as a retired athlete, Wade expressed a desire to seize future investment opportunities. “I wish I would have invested in the league early on,” he lamented. “But now, I’m like, ‘When’s the next investment round?’”

He remains motivated by Unrivaled’s success and is looking for chances to participate in the league’s growth. “I want to be a part of this. Not just this one location, but where the game is going to grow,” Wade noted.

Reflecting on his early career, Wade recalled a pivotal experience with 3-on-3 basketball during his time at Marquette University. He reminisced about facing off against veteran players and realizing that the dynamics of 3-on-3 were vastly different from the traditional 5-on-5 game. “We thought we were better than the guys that were starting. They put us in a half court, 3-on-3… And they tore our a– up,” he said, describing the lessons learned on the court.

Wade’s newfound appreciation for the 3-on-3 format emphasizes its demand for quick decision-making and adaptability. The experience shaped his understanding of basketball dynamics, which now fuels his interest in the future of women’s sports and investment opportunities.