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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

Last month, when asked about joining Unrivaled, Angel Reese shared, “Nobody wants to go overseas. A lot of us never want to have to go overseas, but some people do have to go overseas, unfortunately. So being able to make six figures within three months…” Nearly a month later, another rookie seems to be on board with the idea — Rickea Jackson.

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On September 3rd, Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson was announced as the 18th player in Breanna Stewart’s Unrivaled league. In the process, she became the second rookie to join after Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese.

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The claims of minimum offerings to be at $250,000 per player could mean significant to the LA Sparks rookie whose current earnings stand at $76,535 with the WNBA. Besides, it will also be an opportunity for Jackson to showcase her skills for 8 weeks alongside 29 other players across six teams.

The league will be based in Miami from January to March, lasting eight weeks over the WNBA off-season. Unrivaled also ensures equity in the league to its inaugural participants that the players can profit from in the years to come if all sails well.

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However, Rickea Jackson isn’t the only one benefiting from being on the list.

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Unrivaled also has a motive for signing Rickea Jackson

“Any person that you can think of, that is the best in the [WNBA] that you think is a great player, we’ve gone after them,” Napheesa Collier had said. Well, that is proof enough that Jackson finds herself alongside the biggest of names in the WNBA now. But her stats and Sparks HC are only here to reason further.

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The fourth overall pick by the Sparks this season, Rickea Jackson averages 12.6 points with an impressive shooting accuracy of 46.6%. According to Curt Miller, Jackson “brings a lot of buzz” to the team. “And so she gets the loudest applause when we do the starting lineups out in LA. She’s really, really popular.” he shared.

With a three-point shooting percentage of 37.2%, Jackson is the most efficient among Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and herself. She is also the second lead scorer for the Sparks, putting up a performance of no less than 13 points since early July. “She’s going to be a special one,” Miller adds, emphasizing her confidence.

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Jackson isn’t the only rookie who could drive interest in Unrivaled. Certainly, adding names like Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin, who’ve had top-selling jerseys so far, might turn heads. However, according to Collier, there are only four rookie spots, and now two of them are already filled. What do you think? Will Clark and Martin get their names on the list? Stay tuned to find out!

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Yashika Dutta

2,141 Articles

Yashika Dutta is a Basketball Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the NCAA, WNBA, and Olympics. A member of the EssentiallySports Journalistic Excellence Program, she specializes in the high-stakes energy of college basketball, with features on the Big Ten Conference and the chaos of March Madness that bring fans right to the hardwood. Her coverage has even caught the attention of UConn coaches and Olympian Rori Dunk, earning her recognition for both accuracy and insight. A former state-level basketball player, Yashika channels her on-court experience into reporting that captures the game’s intensity beyond the box score. With a player’s sense of timing and a journalist’s instinct for storytelling, she shines a light on rising stars like Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins, while unpacking the pressures and triumphs that shape college hoops. Whether charting a Big Ten rivalry or chronicling the ethos of March Madness, Yashika connects fans to the heart of the game with energy and authenticity.

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Shivatmika Manvi

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