WNBA players using the rapid pace of Unrivaled games to prepare for upcoming season

MEDLEY, Fla. (AP) — Satou Sabally was all over the court. The leading scorer for Unrivaled's Phantom BC drained a 3-pointer at the top of the key at Wayfair Arena in Miami, dove for a loose ball a couple possessions later, then took a few deep breaths as she made her way to the bench.

“I am tired,” Sabally said before she began a courtside interview on TNT.

That's what players are getting used to with the intense and physical 3-on-3 play at Unrivaled, which is pushing a fast-paced, pickup-style game that moves with the speed of a track race.

Games are played on a condensed full court that’s 72-feet long and 49.2-feet wide — a WNBA court is 22 feet longer and less than a foot wider. The 18-second shot clock is shorter than the W's 24-second shot clock and college basketball's 30-second timer.

The result: Constantly running up and down the floor, passes zipped across the court with lightning speed and no plays off.

“I think people would think it’s not as physical or fast because it’s a shorter court,” said Kate Martin of the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries, playing for Unrivaled's Laces BC, “but it makes it so much more physical and so much faster because you’re in every single action offensively and defensively. You can’t really hide out there and take a possession off."

Half-court sets in a typical 5-on-5 game don't always require every offensive player to be involved in the play. That's not the case with Unrivaled. Because there's only three players, someone has the ball, someone may be setting a screen, someone may be cutting to the basket, and so on.

“So somebody is getting hit with a screen, whether it’s off-ball or on-ball, or you’re just running around like crazy," Martin said. “It just it makes it fun though, which, that’s what you want is the really physical and fast pace. It’s going to make us better.”

Martin pointed out the intensity after her Laces team got a physical win over the Vinyl squad last Friday.

“Unfortunately, sometimes plays will happen where I get popped in the mouth or hit on the screen," Martin added, "kneed in the thigh, whatever. That’s just kind of the name of the game. And it happens.”

Fatigue appeared to set in for players as some games went on during the second week of competition.

Mist BC coach Phil Handy called a timeout late in the second quarter of his team's matchup against Phantom after it appeared players were getting winded. Some players could be heard pointing out that their opponents looked tired.

“It’s a different type of toll on your body because you’re getting hit left and right all the time," said Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray, playing for Rose BC. “There’s not really a time where you take a possession off because there’s only three players on the floor. ... You’ve got to be in shape for sure to be able to play this game.”

The primary goal is player development — to have these 36 WNBA players improve their games against elite competition during this nine-week stretch of their offseason.

Some players are finding the balance of using the games for conditioning while not overextending themselves before the WNBA season, which begins about two months after Unrivaled wraps up with the championship on March 17.

“Obviously, this is the middle of our offseason,” said New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who plays for Phantom, “and I think there’s a fine line of understanding you’re here to get better and continue to work on your game. But also for me, I can’t be mentally locked in like I am in the W season here now, or I’d be burnt out by the time the W starts, because I am so competitive and take everything so seriously.”

Ionescu said she's been working on her conditioning since about a week after the Liberty defeated Minnesota in the WNBA finals in October. She plans to continue that with Unrivaled so she can be "in the best shape of my life.”

“This time here you’re going to really be able to improve on that to be able to kind of take off into the W season in the best shape, and also refining your game as well,” Ionescu said. “You’re able to tell the people that put in a lot of work to get in shape because you're just going, you’re running, you’re playing defense, then you’re sprinting down the floor (and) shooting.

"It’s really going to put it to the test, and hopefully just make us better individuals.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Vinyl's Dearica Hamby, right, fouls Rose's Chelsea Gray, left, during an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Phantom center Brittney Griner (42) defends against Mist forward Breanna Stewart (30) during the first half of an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Vinyl forward Dearica Hamby (5) goes to the basket as Laces guard Tiffany Hayes, right, defends during the second half of an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Laces guard Kate Martin (20) defends as Vinyl guard Jordin Canada (3) shoots during the first half of an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Phantom forward Satou Sabally (0) talks with an official during the first half of an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Mist, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Laces guard Kate Martin dribbles during the first half of an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Vinyl, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Phantom forward Satou Sabally (0) drives to the basket as Mist forward Aaliyah Edwards (3) defends during the second half of an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California ’s population climbed above 39.5 million in 2024, marking the second year of growth following a string of declines in the nation’s most populous state during the coronavirus pandemic.

The population rose an estimated 1%, adding 108,000 people compared to 2023, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Finance. The increase is due in part to the number of births outpacing deaths and a boost in the number of adults 65 and older. The state said it also had better data to account for increases in legal immigration into the state from other countries.

About one in nine people living in the United States reside in California.

The Democratic governor touted the population gains as a sign of the state’s growing economy, which is one of the largest in the world. The size of the state's economy has now surpassed that of Japan, which puts it only behind the U.S. as a whole, China and Germany, Newsom's office announced last week.

“People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream, where rights are protected and people are respected,” Newsom said in a statement. “Regions throughout California are growing, strengthening local communities and boosting our state’s future.”

But Republicans in the Democrat-dominated state and beyond have taken aim at California's population declines in the past and the loss of its residents to Texas, which previously made up the largest state-to-state movement in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data.

Critics have tied past population decreases in the Golden State to the relentless homelessness crisis and rising cost of living. California has some of the highest housing, gas and utility prices in the country.

The state also revised its estimate for legal immigration into California from other countries from 2021 to 2024 by roughly 277,000 people, citing better data. The estimated total number of legal immigrants during that period now stands at about 655,000, the Department of Finance said.

Seven of the 10 largest cities saw an increase in population in 2024, including Bakersfield and San Diego, which both grew by more than 1% to roughly 419,000 and 1.4 million, respectively. San Francisco, San Jose and Anaheim saw decreases in population by less than 0.5%.

The population rose in nine of the 10 largest counties, with Los Angeles County increasing by 28,000 compared to 2023. In Contra Costa, the state’s ninth most populous county that is part of the San Francisco Bay Area, the number of residents fell by just two dozen.

In Mono, a small county on the California-Nevada border around Yosemite National Park, the population growth rate fell by about 1.6%.

Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

FILE - The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, file)