PHILADELPHIA — Natasha Cloud rooted for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers as a kid growing up in the city’s suburbs and — like so many young basketball players back in the day — idolized star guard Allen Iverson.
So when she hit the court in the same venue where Iverson once dazzled, Cloud couldn’t help but look up to his retired No. 3 jersey in the rafters and let the moment truly sink in: Women’s professional basketball was back in Philadelphia for the first time in nearly 30 years — and she was a key figure in the comeback.
“Man, like how crazy it is that I’m standing here about to play for the first time professionally in my home city,” Cloud said.
Cloud plays for Phantom BC, one of the teams in Unrivaled, the burgeoning 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league. Unrivaled hit the road for the first time in its brief history — the league co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart debuted in 2025 — breaking free of its South Florida base to expand its reach and stage two games Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The first tour stop was a smashing success.