Napheesa Collier

Company: UnrivaledTitle: Co-founderIndustry: Media and EntertainmentNotable in 2024: Collier, along with co-founder Breanna Stewart, built a new women's basketball league from scratch, complete with disruptive compensation and ownership models in an effort to level the playing field for female professional athletes.

When Napheesa Collier accepted a check for $200,000 when she became the first winner of the Unrivaled 1-on-1 Tournament in February, it was the culmination of years of hard work and determination.

That win, taking home the largest single prize in women's basketball history, is a direct reflection of the player that she has become on the basketball court. The former UConn standout is one of the WNBA's best players, leading the Minnesota Lynx to the 2024 Finals after being named the Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up for MVP. She also played a key role for the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team, capturing her second gold medal in Paris.

But it's also a reflection of the force that Collier has become off the court. A vice president on the Women's National Basketball Players Association executive committee, she is at the center of the discussions around a new collective bargaining agreement, which is coming amid the massive boom in the popularity and financial success of women's basketball.

However, it was Unrivaled, which Collier co-founded alongside fellow 2025 CNBC Changemaker Breanna Stewart, that perhaps best shows how her hard work is paying off.

When the two stars announced this new 3-on-3 women's basketball league, the bet was not only on providing a new experience for the growing number of women's basketball fans but also on a business model that centered on investing in the players themselves.

That bet has paid off so far. The league has raised $35 million from a group that includes NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, investor Marc Lasry, Warner Bros. Discovery, and U.S. Soccer star Alex Morgan, among others. Unrivaled landed a multi-year media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT Sports, as well as several corporate sponsorships with brands like Under Armour, Sprite, and Samsung. That has also allowed it to offer the highest average salary in professional women's sports history, the league said.

"We honestly want to get away from that narrative where 'you should support us because it's the right thing to do,'" Collier told Inc. Magazine. "You should watch because it's exciting, and you should invest in it because it's a great business decision. We've proven that."