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Bridget Carleton has signed a contract with Unrivaled for the 2027 season, the league announced on Thursday morning.
"I am so excited to be playing in Unrivaled next season," Carleton said in a statement. "It’s a special opportunity for me to not only stay closer to home but to continue to expand my game and compete with and against some of the best players in the world. Can’t wait to get there!"
Unrivaled, going into its third season, is a full-court 3x3 league founded by WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier as a way to give players an opportunity to stay in the United States and earn money playing in the offseason. Its unique equity structure allowed players to earn significantly more money than they did under the WNBA's last collective-bargaining agreement. For its inaugural season, Unrivaled played its games entirely in the Miami area; in 2026, they played some games in Philadelphia and New York as well.
Carleton is the first current Fire player to sign with Unrivaled. In the 2026 season, before the Fire had any players on their expansion roster, Emily Engstler participated in the league as part of the development pool, along with former Fire forward Haley Jones. Former Fire guard Sug Sutton also played last season for the Unrivaled team Rose Basketball Club.
The announcement of Carleton marks the fourth new player the league has added ahead of its third season, which will take place between January and March before the start of the WNBA's 2027 training camp in April. Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams has also signed on, along with two of the most high-profile rookies from the 2026 draft class, Minnesota's Olivia Miles and Seattle's Flau'jae Johnson.
Carleton's commitment to Unrivaled also stands to benefit the Fire. She played the 2025-26 EuroLeague season with the Czech team USK Praha, which caused her to miss the start of Portland's inaugural training camp in late April along with several other Fire players finishing up overseas commitments. Staying in the United States this winter to play in Unrivaled means not only will Carleton have a shorter season (and with it a lower risk of injury), but one that will end before WNBA training camp starts, allowing her to report to Portland on time.
Carleton signed a three-year, $3.7 million contract with the Fire after becoming their first overall pick in the expansion draft and the new franchise's first player. At the time, general manager Vanja Černivec said that she viewed Carleton, who spent most of her first seven seasons as a role player on a contending Minnesota Lynx team, as having two-way star upside waiting to be tapped into. In her first season in this expanded role in Portland, she's averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game and shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range on the highest volume and usage of her career.
Along with Carla Leite, Carleton is one of the Fire's leading candidates to be a representative at the All-Star Game in Chicago next month.
Now, she joins a small but growing group of WNBA stars who will spend their offseason with Unrivaled.
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