Two Recovery Items Unrivaled’s Star Players Swear By

When you're playing professional basketball, proper recovery is essential. You need tools to help you bounce back, especially when your game schedule consists of back-to-back weekend games, a la Unrivaled — the newest and fastest-paced women's basketball league.

Unrivaled games are 3 vs. 3 and feature three seven-minute quarters, meaning you're playing nonstop. The fourth quarter is untimed, lasting until the “winning shot,” which can also be exhausting.

“We both play so many minutes, but your usage is even higher [at Unrivaled] than it is in the WNBA,” says Napheesa Collier, co-founder of Unrivaled and forward for the Minnesota Lynx, during a group press interview at Unrivaled's facilities. Arike Ogunbowale, guard for the Dallas wings and team captain for Unrivaled's Vinyl basketball club, adds: “There's no help with defense. You have to guard on your own. You have to play offense on your own. You can't really hide.”

That's why rest days and “prehab” are crucial for both of the WNBA all-stars to help avoid injuries and maintain longevity, per Ogunbowale. “You have to be able to give it your all when you're on the court,” Collier says. To do that, both she and Ogunbowale, as well as the rest of Unrivaled roster, are turning to back patches and massaging balms.

I know what you're thinking: it's giving grandma. While yes, these recovery tools traditionally have an old-school connotation, Ogunbowale says they've been given a new-school makeover with Icy Hot, the official recovery partner for Unrivaled. Through this exclusive partnership, Icy Hot will provide topical pain relief products, including the Original Pain Relief Patch ($10) and Pro Massaging Balm ($12), to players during games, practice sessions, and in recovery and training facilities throughout the nine-week season.

“I think the best thing about this league is you get to see other elite athlete's routines.”

“Traditionally, [recovery] was ointment — you rub it on, then you gotta wash your hands, make sure you don't touch your eyes. [Now], I use the balm, where I can just use it as a stick and keep it in my bag,” she says. As for the patch, it's discreet and effective; Ogunbowale wears them during naps and overnight.

Collier is a proud user, too, telling the group: “I use the back patches a lot because my back hurts and my knees are getting old, so I gotta rub that balm on my knees.”

One thing both athletes have learned from their predecessors is to be unapologetic and dead serious about your recovery regimen. “I think the best thing about this league is you get to see other elite athlete's routines,” Ogunbowale says. One of the most valuable recovery practices she's learned is from vets like Diana Taurasi and Sylvia Fowles. “I used to just get on the court and hit a couple stretches and be ready. But they would stretch for like, 20 to 30 minutes, so I kind of picked up on that.” It's been a game changer, quite literally, Ogunbowale says — in terms of her endurance and time spent on the court, but hopefully in overall longevity, too.

Collier agrees, noting that she's in for a good time and a long time. “[How you prepare your body] is really what sets you apart and allows you to have a long career.”

Alexis Jones (she/her) is the senior health and fitness editor at PS. In her six years of editorial experience, Alexis has developed passions and areas of expertise around mental health, women's health and fitness, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women's Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.