Breanna Stewart was one of the favorites to advance in Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament — the two-time MVP is a versatile scorer and defender and seemed poised to make a run in the single-elimination tournament.
But, in Monday night’s first round, Stewart was shockingly swept, falling 12-0 to Washington Mystics’ Aaliyah Edwards, who hit a step-back three-pointer for the game and scored in a multitude of ways in the impressive showing.
Edwards, fresh off her rookie season, is Stewart’s Unrivaled teammate on the Mist Club, and while she’s had a great Unrivaled season, few could have predicted she would defeat such a versatile and accomplished player so resoundingly.
After her big loss, Stewart turned to social media to congratulate Edwards: “Tough night for me but shoutout to my Mistie @AaliyahEdwards_ !!! Keep that thing going and go get that bag !!.”
It’s no surprise Stewart is being gracious in defeat. WNBA players’ willingness to partake in the tournament showed a willingness to be vulnerable and potentially expose themselves to letdown losses on a big stage.
Alex Bazzell, the president of Unrivaled, told SB Nation in December that when the idea of the 1v1 tournament was first conceived, he turned to Stewart for her input.
“Listen, you talk about brand risk… I’m like, ‘Well, let me just go straight to Stewie and see what she thinks,’” Bazzell said. “She’s like, ‘No, I want to play. I’m tired of people debating like I’m not the best player.’”
And, though Stewart certainly wished she had had a better Monday night to make her point, she now has a financial interest in Edwards advancing. That’s because while the winner of Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament earns the big $200,000 cash prize, each of their Unrivaled teammates is also awarded $10,000.
“There’s still a team camaraderie perspective — where you may be eliminated, but your teammate keeps advancing,” Bazzell said. “Inevitably you want to root them on — not just for personal reasons, but also there’s an incentive for you if your teammate wins the ultimate cash prize.”
The benefits of that prize model are already quite obvious. Edwards has a bye in the second round, so she’ll advance right to the quarterfinals on Tuesday night and face the winner of a matchup between Kahleah Copper and Allisha Gray.
Stewart will be rooting her on from the sidelines.
