Women's Basketball Sets Record: 21,490 Fans in Philly

More than 21,000 fans filled Philadelphia's Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday night to watch Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women's basketball league, breaking attendance records for both women's professional basketball and the venue itself.

The 21,490 fans who showed up smashed the previous record for a regular-season women's professional basketball game. It also topped every other event the arena has ever hosted.

"You could feel the love tonight," said Napheesa Collier, who co-founded the league. "I was just so filled up with joy."

Fans started gathering hours before the games began, wearing WNBA and Unrivaled gear and staying through the entire three-hour doubleheader. The crowd included basketball legend Dawn Staley, former NFL player Jason Kelce, comedians Wanda Sykes and Leslie Jones, and Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts.

The historic night featured two games, with Marina Mabrey stealing the show by scoring 47 points and hitting 10 three-pointers, both Unrivaled records. The Phantom defeated the Breeze 71-68, while the Lunar Owls topped the Rose 85-75.

The games marked Philadelphia's first professional women's basketball since 1998, when the Philadelphia Rage played in the now-defunct ABL. The city is already celebrating its future in women's basketball, set to welcome a WNBA expansion team in 2030.

The Ripple Effect

The massive turnout sends a powerful message about the appetite for women's professional sports. Unrivaled launched this season with an eight-week format based in Miami, but this Philadelphia stop proved fans across different cities are hungry for opportunities to watch elite women athletes compete.

Players expressed excitement about expanding the tour model next season. "I didn't realize there was going to be so much hype around it and so much support," Mabrey said after her record-breaking performance.

Rose coach Nola Henry summed up the evening simply: "It was just what women's basketball deserves."

Collier confirmed the league plans multiple tour stops for next season, bringing professional women's basketball to more communities eager to support the sport. The future of women's basketball just got a whole lot brighter.