# Alex Bazzell

> Alex Bazzell is the co-founder, President and CEO of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women's professional basketball league he built with WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart to give the game's biggest stars a place to play, and own equity, during the WNBA offseason. A former pro guard in Germany turned elite skills trainer for the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving, Bazzell moved from the gym floor to the front office and, within a year of Unrivaled's January 2025 debut in Miami, guided the league to a $340 million valuation with backers ranging from Bessemer Venture Partners to Stephen Curry and Serena Williams' Serena Ventures.

- **Role:** Co-founder, President & CEO at Unrivaled Basketball
- **Organizations:** Unrivaled Basketball, Through The Lens, Mamba Sports Academy
- **From:** St. Charles, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Men's basketball, guard, University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), Basketball, Lindenwood University
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Unrivaled, the first major U.S. women's 3-on-3 professional basketball league, Grew Unrivaled to a $340 million valuation within a year of its debut - a roughly 10x increase from spring 2024, Built a compensation model paying an average of about $220,000 per player, among the highest in women's team sports, with equity ownership

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Plays college basketball as a guard for the Kansas City Roos (UMKC)
- **2012** — Turns professional and plays in Germany
- **2014** — Returns to the U.S. and moves into full-time basketball skills training
- **2018** — Builds a reputation as a top trainer for elite NBA and WNBA talent; works at Kobe Bryant's Mamba Academy
- **2020** — Co-founds Through The Lens, a subscription video training platform, with Carmelo Anthony
- **2022** — Marries WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier
- **2023** — Co-founds Unrivaled with Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart (July 6)
- **2024** — Unrivaled raises a $35M Series A; names Micky Lawler commissioner
- **2025** — Unrivaled tips off its inaugural season in Miami on January 17; average player salary ~$220K
- **2025** — Closes a Series B led by Bessemer Venture Partners at a $340M valuation
- **2026** — Unrivaled expands from six to eight teams for season two

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Unrivaled, the first major U.S. women's 3-on-3 professional basketball league
- Grew Unrivaled to a $340 million valuation within a year of its debut - a roughly 10x increase from spring 2024
- Built a compensation model paying an average of about $220,000 per player, among the highest in women's team sports, with equity ownership
- Secured investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Serena Ventures, Warner Bros. Discovery, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps and Coco Gauff
- Landed a U.S. media package with TNT/TruTV and streaming on Max
- Trained elite NBA and WNBA players including Carmelo Anthony, Trae Young and Kyrie Irving
- Co-founded Through The Lens, an athlete-owned digital training platform, with Carmelo Anthony

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Unrivaled closes a Series B round led by Bessemer Venture Partners at a $340 million valuation and reports doubling its season-one revenue projections.
- **2026-01** — Unrivaled's second season tips off with the league expanded from six to eight teams and roughly 90% of the roster already signed.

## Links

- Website: https://unrivaled.basketball
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-bazzell-35352090
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/alexbazzell
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbazzell/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alex-bazzell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-07