đ Unrivaled Weekly: Sparking joy
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
The playoff race is heating up, MVP votes are being cast, and Unrivaledâs reminding everyone that basketball is supposed to be fun. Thatâs why weâre here to hopefully spark as much joy as Breeze star Dominique Malongaâs second dunk of the season.
- Without further ado, itâs time to break down the leagueâs hottest hands, vibe-check the top off-court moments, and unpack the plays that hit different. Letâs shoot some hoops.
You know the rule: look good, feel good, play good. Itâs the mindset many hoopers live by. And now, Unrivaled is turning that mantra into The Beauty Playbook â an opportunity to explore the rituals, routines, and self-expression that fuel your fave playerâs game. Say less.
⨠The ultimate glow-up
The GIST: Unrivaled doesnât give out an award for Most Improved Player (at least not yet), but in the spirit of personal growth, letâs discuss The GISTâs hypothetical finalists.
đĽ Aliyah Boston, Phantom BC: AB joining the Ghost Gang is the definition of a symbiotic relationship. Last year, Phantom finished the season with a league-worst 4-10 record and were outscored by 10 points per game on average. Meanwhile, Boston saw limited minutes with Vinyl in 2025, averaging a pedestrian 5.9 points per game and tallying just eight assists total.
- Together, theyâve enjoyed the ultimate glow-up. Bostonâs averaging a double-double (points and rebounds) for the playoff-bound Phantom, while leading the league in blocks. Plus, Phantom lead the league in assists with Boston acting as both a facilitator and a beneficiary.
đĽ Brittney Sykes, Laces BC: Slim has drastically improved her scoring production in 2026, averaging 19.6 points per game compared to 11.6 last season. Yes, her shooting percentage is better (42% in 2025 vs. 49.4% this year), but itâs how sheâs getting shots thatâs particularly interesting.
- Sykes has been more patient coming off the ball screen this year, allowing her to make better decisions, whether itâs a higher-percentage shot or the correct read. Whatâs more, despite an increase in playing time, Sykesâ turnovers per game have stayed relatively consistent this year.
đĽ Shakira Austin, Rose BC: Austin spent much of 2025 playing behind reigning league MVP Napheesa Collier with the Lunar Owls, but 2026 has been a different story, particularly over the last five games. Austinâs averaging 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a Rosebud, literally doubling up on her 8.6 and 4.3 averages from last season.
- Perhaps even more impressive is that her increase in usage hasnât impacted her efficiency â in fact, sheâs more efficient this year, improving her shooting percentage from 50.6% to 56.3% despite taking double the amount of shots. Glowing on up.
đŹď¸ Breeze BC shot 57% from the field in their 75â70 loss to the last-place Lunar Owls on Tuesday, a much more efficient performance than their opponentsâ 50% outing â but they still lost. Why? As is often the case when it comes to disappointing defeats, the answer is in the possession battle.
- Breeze gifted the Owls 18 bonus possessions between their nine turnovers (four being unforced) and the nine offensive rebounds they forfeited. When it was all said and done that only amounted to three extra shots, but they lost by just two possessions. Oof.
đĽ Lunar Owl Aaliyah Edwards will finish the season with eight straight double-doubles
We donât want to toot our own horn, but five weeks ago we predicted Edwards would set Unrivaledâs double-double record, and thatâs exactly what the 23-year-old did in Tuesdayâs aforementioned 75â70 win. The 24-point, 10-rebound performance marked Edwardsâ fifth straight double-double, surpassing Angel Reese for most consecutive double-doubles in Unrivaled history.
- Just how good has Edwards been? Averaging 22.4 points and a whopping 13.2 rebounds per game, sheâs logged eight double-doubles in nine games played, the only âblemishâ coming on January 17th against Mist, when she put up 22 points and seven boards.
As always, thanks for breaking the press with us.
Yours through timeouts and technicals,
The GIST Team
Todayâs email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.