Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Unrivaled women’s basketball league unveiled the matchups for its season-opening doubleheader in Philadelphia on Thursday, and two of the area’s most famous players topped the marquee. Natasha Cloud’s Phantom will face Paige Bueckers’ Breeze in one game, and Kahleah Copper’s Rose will face Napheesa Collier’s Lunar Owls in the other. The league says ticket sales for the event, set for Jan. 30 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, have surpassed 10,000 so far. A further set of tickets went on sale Thursday. That is around the capacity of the arena’s lower bowl, and it’s not clear yet whether organizers will open the upper deck. But it’s a big enough number to justify going to the city’s largest indoor venue, instead of the smaller Liacouras Center on Temple’s campus or the Palestra. “For Unrivaled to invest in us yet again, and to take us to Philly, to take us on the road, and then to bet on us to pick the biggest arena that the city of Philadelphia has — this is total investment into us; this is total investment into the city of Philadelphia,” said Cloud, a Broomall native and St. Joseph’s product. Though plenty of her fans have traveled around the country to watch Cloud play — especially this year, since she was with the New York Liberty — she admitted she hasn’t “played in front of my family in Philly in 10-plus years.” » READ MORE: Here’s why Unrivaled picked Philadelphia to be the first stop on its nationwide tour The wait will end in January, and in style. “This is about progressing women in sports forward and leading the charge,” Cloud said “I think Unrivaled has done a phenomenal job at putting their money where their mouth is, and I hope a lot of other people follow suit.” Each roster in the three-on-three format has six players, and the league’s eight teams built their rosters in a draft held Wednesday. Cloud’s teammates include Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum. Copper’s squad features Las Vegas Aces point guard Chelsea Gray, one of the sport’s great floor generals, and is coached by Willingboro native Nola Henry. » READ MORE: Mayor Cherelle Parker among those celebrating Unrivaled’s tour stop in Philly: ‘This is history in motion’ Bueckers’ Breeze squad is young, but it could be quite entertaining. Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga was one of the WNBA’s most-touted rookies last year, while Cameron Brink’s strong start in Los Angeles was derailed by a torn ACL last year. Collier’s Lunar Owls are a veteran group, including Seattle guard Skylar Diggins and Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey, the latter a Monmouth County, N.J., native. A number of WNBA pros have passed through Philadelphia at some point over the years, whether to play in college or to visit friends. Bueckers is an obvious example, from her days at UConn to a recent trip alongside the entire Dallas Wings squad for former Villanova star Maddy Siegrist’s wedding. But plenty haven’t been, so this will be their introduction. Cloud said she and Copper have heard from many players who are excited to see the town. » READ MORE: Maddy Siegrist got to meet fellow Villanova alum Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican “Philly is a city that people might have passed through, heard of, had friends from, but they’ve never really experienced it themselves,” Cloud said. “Philly is truly one of the most beautiful cities that I’ve ever been able to be a part of. And I think for me and Kah especially, this is a testament to, truly, who we are and the environment that raised us and why we [have] the ability to be so successful.” Because only four of the circuit’s eight teams will play here, some big names won’t be involved. The biggest from a local perspective are Siegrist, Harrisburg-area native Alyssa Thomas, and all-around superstar Breanna Stewart. It’s not known yet if they’ll come to town anyway to watch as fans. Unrivaled rosters for Philadelphia games Players are listed in the order they were drafted this week. Breeze: Paige Bueckers, Rickea Jackson, Dominique Malonga, Aari McDonald, Kate Martin, Cameron Brink Phantom: Kelsey Plum, Satou Sabally, Aliyah Boston, Dana Evans, Natasha Cloud, Kiki Iriafen Rose: Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Azurá Stevens, Sug Sutton, Lexie Hull, Shakira Austin
