The wait is over for the highly anticipated inaugural Unrivaled Basketball season. It's a full court 3 v 3 league founded by WNBA greats Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The unique thing about the league is that is it founded on an equity-based financial platform giving the athletes a great salary and ownership. One woman who has been pivotal in the buildout is Chief Brand Officer Kirby Porter. Kirby is an award-winning sports entrepreneur and brand builder, a self-proclaimed 'marketing girlie,' founder of New Game Labs, the first marketing hire at Will Ventures, and former Harvard Women's Basketball captain. Today we dive into:

• Unrivaled Basketball -- how it works & the signficance for female hoopers and athletes everywhere
• The changing landscape of women's sports, collegiately and professionally
• NIL & tips for young athletes
• The importance of brand building for athletes
• How companies benefit from investing in women's sports
• Kirby's Harvard basketball days - how lessons from the court transferred to successes in the corporate world
• Day-to-day non-negotiables adopted from the sports world

To follow & learn more about Unrivaled: unrivaled.basketball

Follow along with Kirby on LinkedIn.

Follow along with Hannah on social: @_hannah.donnelly

To watch the episodes: NBC Sports Boston YouTube

The last few months have been a whirlwind for Jess Mruzik - she won a national championship with Penn State, spent a few days celebrating the holidays with her family, and then moved to Houston to start her professional volleyball career with LOVB Houston. The standout outside hitter was a huge part of the historic season for the Penn State volleyball program, leading the team on and off the court. She is now etching her name in the professional history books as a member of the inaugural season of League One Volleyball League. Today we dive in to:

• 2024 National Championship & entire tournament
• Penn State Volleyball's season mantra: Bigger Than Us
• Impact of iconic moment Head Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley made history as 1st female coach to win a DI national title
• LOVB - excitement for inaugural season & impact for younger athletes
• Passion off the court (shoutout to grandpa!)

Follow Jess on social: @jess_mruz19

Learn more about LOVB: lovb.com

Follow along with Hannah on social: @_hannah.donnelly

To watch the episodes: NBC Sports Boston YouTube

Professional runner Heather MacLean is as Boston as it gets - she loves runs on the Charles River, Dunkin, the Celtics, and even worked her first job at Market Basket. But now Heather is living her dream racing the 1500 for New Balance (based in MA!) She wasn't the standout in high school, or even college, but she puts in the work and trains with the best. In 2021 she punched her ticket to Tokyo, surprising many (but not her team!) The taste of the international stage at that scale lit a fire and she wants more! Since then Heather has battled injury but is back healthy and ready to compete in the upcoming season! Today we dive in to:

• VO2 Max Testing at The Track at New Balance
• How she found running & what made her fall in love with the sport
• The transition from college to professional running with an opportunity from New Balance and Mark Coogan
• Training for 2020 Olympic Trials & punching her ticket to Tokyo with teammate Elle Purrier St. Pierre
• Injury journey - the highs, lows, and lessons
• Mindset that has helped her keep eyes forward in career
• New Strava obsession

Follow along with Heather on social: @heather_maclean31

Follow along with Hannah on social: @_hannah.donnelly

To watch the episodes: NBC Sports Boston YouTube