Entering second Unrivaled season, the upstart league has Lexie Hull thriving on and off the court

By W.G. Ramirez

The Spokesman-Review

The evolution of Lexie Hull has been one to marvel at since she entered the WNBA in 2022.

The former Central Valley star has emerged from the shadows of scoring 3.8 points per game during her rookie season, when she played in 26 games and started just four, to become one of the league’s stalwart defenders during last season’s incredible playoff push with the Indiana Fever.

Hull played in all 44 games last season, and started in 30 of them, while finishing with 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.02 steals per game.

And that was after a fifth-place finish in Player of the Year voting the previous season.

“Lexie came back a much more aggressive, assertive player from Unrivaled,” Fever coach Stephanie White said during exit interviews.

Now, with her second stint at Unrivaled set to begin Jan. 5, Hull flashed her trademark smile while appearing revived during media day after a physical postseason ended in a fifth and decisive playoff game in Las Vegas, where the Fever fell in overtime to the eventual champion Aces.

“It’s been exciting,” Hull said. “This offseason has been great. Being able to be in Indy, in and out of Indy, doing a lot of fun things. Being able to train there has been awesome.”

Hull, who’s always been adamant about her physical condition and taking care of her physique, said being around friends and family while resting and recuperating helped rejuvenate her system.

Now, with a clear head, she’s ready to put in the work toward more personal growth, potentially a second straight championship with Rose BC at Unrivaled, and bringing even more to contribute to a stacked Fever roster in 2026.

“I think heading into this year, having the first season under our belt, the returners know what to expect out of the two-month season, and know what it takes to win,” Hull said. “So, really excited to have some great pieces coming in for this year, for Year 2, and obviously a lot of new players across the league.

“I think something that’s so great about Unrivaled is they do pour in to each of us and pour into the player development side of things. So it’s just a great opportunity to get better and also play against the best.”

Not to mention the league offers an average salary of $220,000 ($100,000 minimum). Hull made $88,261 in the last year of her rookie deal with the Fever last season and is a restricted free agent for the signing period begining later this month.

On the Unrivaled court, one of the new faces next to Hull is Washington Mystics point guard Sug Sutton, who is not only excited to learn from arguably the best of the best in teammate Chelsea Gray, but also to pick up pointers from Hull.

“This is my first time playing with Lexie, so I’m excited,” Sutton said. “I’ve played against her a number of times this past season in the W, and one thing that always sticks out with Lexie is how hard she works and how good of a defender she is.

“I’m just happy we’re on the same side of the ball this time and can disrupt teams together this season in Unrivaled.”

Hull’s aforementioned evolution undoubtedly can be attributed to her offseason success. She played with Athletes Unlimited in 2023 and finished eighth on the overall leaderboard while being named Defensive Player of the Year and Teammate of the Year. In 2024 at Athletes Unlimited, once again, she was named to the Athletes Unlimited All-Defensive Team

Last year with Rose BC, she averaged 6.4 points in 11.5 minutes per game, while averaging 3.0 assists and 1.6 assists per outing.

One of the things Hull said she’s most excited about this season, perhaps because it mirrors the camaraderie the Fever built with phenom Caitlin Clark and veterans Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham, is how close the Rose became in Unrivaled’s inaugural campaign.

Hull noted how last year’s championship squad played hard every minute, and how it always felt they were playing for one another.

“The game is so fast, and a season can have a lot of ups and downs, but I think as a group, we really stuck together and came out every game with a lot of effort and energy,” Hull said.

“And it’s a challenging season. It’s a challenging league. There’s a lot of great players. But I think, more than anything, I think we’re just excited to keep bringing that energy day in and day.”

With Rose BC returning all but two players from last year’s championship roster, Hull said the additions of Sutton and her Mystics teammate, Shakira Austin, will fit right in and she’s excited to see that same energy carry over to 2026.

“They bring really great things that we need, and I think just moving forward, we’ll bring that energy and those relationships we made from last year,” Hull said. “This is a new year, and I think starting fresh, building together, getting to know each other, off and on the court. I think that’s what we’re going to really focus on in the first few weeks, especially since we’re here a little early, and it’s exciting.

“It’s exciting to see how the group meshes with new people, the dynamics change a little bit, and it’s going to be exciting to get to know them and build some really good team chemistry.”