Rose BC forward Azurá Stevens is using her TikTok account to bond with other players while participating in Unrivaled, the women’s professional 3-on-3 league in Miami, and the results are delightful.
‘This is kind of the perfect place to kind of collab with other people because we’re literally all here,’ Stevens told USA TODAY Sports. ‘It kind of just happened organically.’
The 6-foot-6 veteran has played in the WNBA for the Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky and, most recently, Los Angeles Sparks. While in Chicago, Stevens, who says she loves dancing, began making TikTok videos.
At first, she did the clips solo before asking her friends to join in. When Stevens signed with Los Angeles in 2023, she continued making the TikToks, adding teammates like Sparks and Breeze center Cameron Brink and forward Rickea Jackson to the fun.
Jackson and Stevens collaborated again shortly after landing in Miami for the second season of Unrivaled. What started as bonding between teammates has blossomed into something much larger ― a movement taking over Unrivaled.
Stevens has collaborated with multiple WNBA stars during her downtime at Unrivaled, including WNBA Rookie of the Year and Breeze BC guard Paige Bueckers. Stevens told USA TODAY she leads the choreography and song selections for the videos; Bueckers comes up with the captions.
‘The TikToks with Paige [Bueckers] just kind of happened,’ Stevens said. ‘I just [saw] her, and we were just like, ‘We should make a TikTok.’ Then, we just started sending it to each other, and then, we just started making them. It’s funny; people think she doesn’t have rhythm. She actually really does. She’s a good dancer.’
Stevens said the TikTok videos are ‘fun’ and ‘silly’ things that help players highlight their personalities in ways fans might not see during the WNBA season. They also allow fans to build a connection to the athletes.
Since beginning her TikTok videos in Miami, Stevens has formed a deeper bond with many players and the list grows by the day. She has collaborated with Brink, Jackson, Bueckers and 15 other players, including Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier and Sparks and Phantom guard Kelsey Plum. Stevens says, Plum, who rarely does TikTok videos, had one request: it had to be simple.
‘She killed it. She did so good,’ Stevens said. ‘My favorite part of that video is, in the beginning, she’s so focused because we had just rehearsed her part. So she was really locking in on what she had to do. It was so funny.’
Stevens has been slowly making her way through the Unrivaled facilities, targeting one player at a time. Connecticut Sun and Hive BC guard Saniya Rivers is on the docket for a video and Las Vegas Aces and Laces BC guard Jackie Young said she is ‘kinda open,’ depending on the type of video Stevens has planned.
But, not everyone is signing up to be TikTok stars. Unrivaled co-founder and Mist forward Breanna Stewart and Phoenix Mercury and Laces forward Alyssa Thomas refuse do it. Stevens revealed to USA TODAY that she’s planning a UConn Huskies-themed TikTok video, and Stewart, who won four championships with the program, ‘can’t say no to that.’
Thomas is a different story. The Laces forward has mostly avoided cameras during her two seasons at Unrivaled. Stevens remains undeterred. She vows to get Thomas in a TikTok video by the end of the season. Stevens shared she’s prepared to bring in reinforcements, like Thomas’s fianceé, Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner, to help.
‘I need all the fans manifesting that [Alyssa Thomas] will do one with me. Just one,’ Stevens said, smiling. ‘I told her it doesn’t even have to be dancing. I can come up with another one. Just please, [Alyssa Thomas].
‘She said ‘maybe’ though. She did say ‘maybe’. So I feel like I’m slowly wearing her down. Each day, it’s like she’s getting closer to saying yes.’
With nearly 20 players already onboard for TikTok collaborations, Stevens says there’s just one goal left to accomplish.
‘If I could get one with every single player, I think that would be really cool, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that by the end of the season,’ she said,’ We’ll see.’
