Toronto Tempo

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Toronto Tempo
2026 Toronto Tempo season
Toronto Tempo logo
ConferenceEastern
LeagueWNBA
Established2026
HistoryToronto Tempo
2026–present
ArenaCoca-Cola Coliseum
LocationToronto, Ontario
Team coloursBordeaux, borealis blue, black, white[1][2][3]
       
PresidentTeresa Resch
General managerMonica Wright Rogers
Head coachSandy Brondello
AssistantsOlaf Lange
Ciara Carl
Brian Lankton
Sadie Edwards
Ownership
Websitetempo.wnba.com

The Toronto Tempo are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Tempo compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Beginning play in May 2026, they are the first WNBA team located outside of the United States and the first in Canada.

Toronto Tempo players in a pick and roll action on May 1, 2026, ahead of their inaugural 2026 WNBA season

History

In May 2023, the WNBA held a preseason exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto; the sellout crowd and accompanying enthusiasm led to speculation on whether the city could host a women's team alongside the existing men's Toronto Raptors.[4]

On May 10, 2024, reports emerged that the WNBA and Kilmer Group were negotiating for a Toronto-based expansion franchise.[5][6] The WNBA officially announced the creation of the franchise on May 23.[7][8] The team will become the 14th in the WNBA and the first to be based outside the United States. The team will be owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures, led by Toronto-based billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, who paid an expansion fee of $50 million USD for the franchise.[9] Tanenbaum is a minority owner and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owns fellow professional Toronto sports teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors among others.[6] Tanenbaum originally pursued the WNBA venture through MLSE, though other members of the board turned it down.[5] CBC News reported a source stating the WNBA expansion franchise is expected to play at Coca-Cola Coliseum, an 8,500-seat arena at Exhibition Place that has hosted most Toronto Marlies AHL games since 2005 and Toronto Sceptres PWHL games since 2024.[5][8][10]

When approving the team, the WNBA board of governors voted 13–0 and the NBA board of governors voted 29–1, with only the New York Knicks voting against the expansion; at the time, the Knicks were in the process of suing the Toronto Raptors due to "alleged theft of proprietary information".[7]

Early stage team members included Teresa Resch, who was named president of the franchise,[11] Patrick Lee (chief financial officer), Lisa Ferkul (chief revenue officer), and Whitney Bell (chief marketing officer).[12]

On December 4, 2024, the "Toronto Tempo" nickname was accidentally posted to the dropdown menu of the WNBA website; later that day, the Tempo logo was leaked on SportsLogos.net courtesy of an anonymous WNBA source.[13][14] The next day, the Tempo name, logo, and colour scheme were officially unveiled by the team.[15]

In February 2025, Monica Wright Rogers was hired as the first general manager for the Toronto Tempo.[16] In May 2025, Eli Horowitz was hired as the assistant general manager and senior vice president of basketball strategy.[17]

On March 3, 2025, American former professional tennis player Serena Williams was announced as a joint-owner of the team.[18] In May 2025, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy and Lilly Singh joined the ownership group for the Tempo.[19][20] On September 23, 2025, Geoff Molson and France Margaret Bélanger from Groupe CH, the ownership group of the Montreal Canadiens were announced as additional members of the Tempo's ownership group.[21] Former Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri joined the ownership group in March 2026.[22]

In January 2025, the team announced its first founding partner Sephora.[23] In April 2025, the Tempo announced their founding partnership with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.[24]

In August 2025, the team announced that during the 2026 season it would play two regular season games at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.[25] In September 2025, the Tempo also announced that an additional two regular season games during the 2026 season would be played at Bell Centre in Montreal.[26]

The Toronto Tempo took their first steps towards building a roster on April 3rd, 2026 by selecting 11 players as part of the expansion draft. They selected Julie Allemand (Los Angeles Sparks) as their first pick (the 2nd pick of the draft after the Portland Fire). On April 13th, 2026 as part of the 2026 WNBA Draft Toronto selected Kiki Rice (6th), Teonni Key (22nd), Saffron Shiels (26th), and Charlise Dunn (36th).

Starting in April 2026, the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on the campus of University of Toronto will be the practice facility for the Tempo professional basketball team until a purpose-built facility by Exhibition Place is constructed to open by 2028.[27][28]

On July 7, 2026, former Toronto Raptor player Kyle Lowry and his wife, Ayahna Cornish-Lowry joined the Tempo’s ownership group. [29]

On August 18, 2026, the team revealed their mascots Dez the snapping turtle and Dot the Arctic hare during half-time against the Indiana Fever.[30]

Inaugural Season (2026–present)

The Toronto Tempo made its regular-season debut on May 8, 2026 against the Washington Mystics at Coca-Cola Coliseum in front of a sellout crowd of 8,210 in a loss to the Mystics 68–65. The game marked the first WNBA regular-season game played in Canada and the league's first game featuring a franchise based outside the United States. The Tempo recorded its first regular-season victory five days later, defeating the Seattle Storm 86–73 at home. As part of the franchise's role as Canada's first WNBA team, Toronto played regular-season home games in two other Canadian cities, Montreal and Vancouver. The team also played three games at the larger Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, home of the Toronto Raptors. The Tempo set a new WNBA regular season attendance record on July 10th, with 20,996 fans in attendance at the Bell Centre in Montreal in a game versus the Dallas Wings.[31]Marina Mabrey tied the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points in a win against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 25, 2026.[32]On July 31, 2026, the Tempo acquired forward Aneesah Morrow from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for the rights to Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round draft pick.[33]

The Tempo began the season with a 7–5 record before a long-term injury to Brittney Sykes, followed by injuries to several other core players. Nyara Sabally, Kiki Rice and Marina Mabrey all missed significant time[34] and the four players appeared together for only 78 minutes over the course of the season.[35]On August 23, 2026, they were reduced to a season low seven players available after an injury to Julie Allemand.[36] They finished their inaugural regular season with an 11–33 record, placing sixth in the Eastern Conference. They tied the Connecticut Sun (Now Houston Comets) for the best odds in the 2027 WNBA Draft lottery with each team having a 29.5% chance to secure the number one overall pick.[37]

Media

Beginning with the 2026 season, Bell Media became the WNBA's primary media partner in Canada under a multi-year deal. All Tempo games not selected for global streaming on Prime Video (one game in the 2026 season) are scheduled to air on TSN, with some games simulcast on CTV and streaming on Crave.[38][39]

On September 20, 2026, ESPN premiered Setting the Tempo, a four-part documentary chronicling the creation and launch of the Toronto Tempo. The ESPN original features behind-the-scenes looks at the hiring of the front office, coach and building the roster among CBA uncertainty going into their first season.[40]

Coaches and staff

Tempo coaching staff, May 2026. From left to right: assistant head coaches Brian Lankton and Ciara Carl, associate head coach Olaf Lange, and head coach Sandy Brondello.

Head coaches

On November 4, 2025, the Tempo announced the hiring of Sandy Brondello as the team’s first Head Coach.[41]

Assistant coaches

  • Olaf Lange, Associate Head Coach
  • Ciara Carl, Assistant Coach
  • Carly Clarke, Assistant Coach
  • Brian Lankton, Assistant Coach
  • Sadie Edwards, Assistant Coach & Head Video Coordinator
  • Justina King, Assistant Video Coordinator & Team Operations Support

General managers

Season-by-season record & roster

Toronto Tempo
Season Team Conference Regular Season Playoff Results
W L PCT
2026 2026 East 6th 11 33 .250 Did not qualify
Regular season 11 33 .250 0 Conference Champions
Playoffs 0 0 – 0 WNBA Championships

Current roster

PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G22BelgiumAllemand, Julie5' 8" (1.73m)147 lb (67kg)1996-07-07Belgium3
F33FranceBankole, Ornella5' 11" (1.8m)1997-10-17FranceR
C5PolandBorkowska, Kamila6' 7" (2.01m)2002-07-26PolandR
F10SpainConde, María6' 1" (1.85m)152 lb (69kg)1997-01-14Florida StateR
C14United KingdomFagbenle, Temi6' 4" (1.93m)180 lb (82kg)1992-09-08USC4
C6South SudanGakdeng, Maria6' 3" (1.91m)2003-06-09North CarolinaR
G00United StatesGreen, Zaay6' 2" (1.88m)2000-03-25AlabamaR
F21United StatesHarrison, Isabelle6' 3" (1.91m)183 lb (83kg)1993-09-27Tennessee7
F2LithuaniaJuškaitė, Laura6' 2" (1.88m)176 lb (80kg)1997-09-22LithuaniaR
F7United StatesKey, Teonni6' 4" (1.93m)170 lb (77kg)2003-07-10KentuckyR
G3United StatesMabrey, Marina Injured6' 1" (1.85m)186 lb (84kg)1996-09-14Notre Dame7
F24United StatesMorrow, Aneesah Injured6' 1" (1.85m)178 lb (81kg)2003-02-02LSU1
G11CanadaNurse, Kia6' 0" (1.83m)195 lb (88kg)1996-02-22Connecticut6
G1United StatesRice, Kiki5' 11" (1.8m)166 lb (75kg)2004-01-04UCLAR
C8GermanySabally, Nyara6' 5" (1.96m)204 lb (93kg)2000-02-26Oregon3
G20United StatesSykes, Brittney Injured5' 9" (1.75m)154 lb (70kg)1994-02-07Syracuse8
Head coach
Australia Sandy Brondello
Assistant coaches
United States Ciara Carl (North Texas)
Canada Carly Clarke
United States Sadie Edwards (USC)
Germany Olaf Lange
United States Brian Lankton (Phoenix College)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured
  WNBA roster page
East
ATL
CHI
CON
IND
NY
TOR
WAS
West
DAL
GS
LV
LA
MIN
PHO
POR
SEA

References

  1. "Toronto Tempo Merchandise is Here". WNBA.com (Press release). WNBA Enterprises, LLC. January 14, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  2. "Toronto Tempo Unveils Team Jerseys Ahead of Inaugural Season". Tempo.WNBA.com. WNBA Enterprises, LLC. December 16, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025. The uniforms feature the team's signature colours — Borealis Blue and Tempo Bordeaux — along with the Tempo's iconic six speed lines. These lines represent the six boroughs that make up the fabric of Toronto and the five players on the court supported by the sixth player in the game: the fans. Their movement and variation in thickness mirror the heartbeat, shifts in pace, and rhythm of both the city and the game — a nod to basketball's natural "tempos" and moments of momentum.
  3. "Toronto Tempo Reproduction Guideline Sheet". WNBA Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  4. Dichter, Myles (May 13, 2023). "'Toronto wants WNBA': First-ever game in Canada shows viability of expansion to Toronto". CBC Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  5. Ahmed, Shireen (May 10, 2024). "Toronto awarded WNBA expansion team to begin play in 2026". CBC News. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  6. "Toronto expansion team to join WNBA in 2026, per reports". ESPN. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  7. "Toronto awarded WNBA's 1st team outside U.S., to play in '26". ESPN. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  8. "WNBA Expands to Canada with Toronto Selected as the League's 14th Team" (Press release). Women's National Basketball Association. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  9. "Edward Rogers argued against a Toronto WNBA franchise — but Tanenbaum went ahead and got one. Who was right?". Toronto Star. May 31, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  10. "Promoter Guide" (PDF). coca-colacoliseum.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  11. "Kilmer Group | Teresa Resch - Tempo Basketball Club Inc". Kilmer Group Corporate. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  12. "Toronto's WNBA Team Builds Bench Strength With New Front Office Hires – Adrenalin". Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  13. Creamer, Chris (December 4, 2024). "Name and Logo Leaked for Toronto Tempo, New WNBA Team in 2026". SportsLogos.net. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  14. Dichter, Myles (December 4, 2024). "Did the WNBA accidentally leak the nickname and logo of its Toronto franchise?". CBC News. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  15. "Canada's WNBA Team Announces Identity: Meet the Toronto Tempo". Tempo.WNBA.com (Press release). WNBA Enterprises, LLC. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  16. "Toronto Tempo Welcomes New General Manager Monica Wright Rogers". Toronto Tempo. February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  17. "Respected executive brings seven seasons of league experience to Canada's first WNBA team". Toronto Tempo. May 30, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  18. "Serena Williams Takes Ownership Stake In Toronto Tempo". Toronto Tempo. March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  19. "Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy joins WNBA Toronto Tempo ownership group". Sports Business Journal. May 1, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  20. "Entertainer Lilly Singh joins ownership group of Toronto's WNBA expansion team". Toronto Sun. May 13, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  21. "Quebec Sports Icons Geoff Molson and France Margaret Bélanger Join Toronto Tempo Ownership Group". Toronto Tempo. September 23, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  22. Shelburne, Ramona (March 31, 2026). "Masai Ujiri joins ownership group of WNBA's Toronto Tempo". ESPN. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  23. "Sephora Canada Makes History as First Founding Partner of the Toronto Tempo". tempo.wnba.com. January 9, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  24. "Toronto Tempo sign CIBC as new Founding Partner". Sports Business Journal. April 15, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  25. "Tempo to play two games in Vancouver during inaugural WNBA season". Sportsnet.ca. August 15, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  26. "Quebec Sports Icons Geoff Molson and France Margaret Bélanger Join Toronto Tempo Ownership Group". Toronto Tempo. September 23, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  27. Osman, Libaan (April 17, 2026). "Toronto Tempo to build $100-million practice facility at Exhibition Place. Here's what you need to know". Toronto Star.
  28. Wilson, Jermaine (April 17, 2026). "'Toronto is ready': Mayor unveils plans for new practice facility for city's WNBA team". Toronto: CP24.
  29. Toronto Tempo (July 7, 2026). "Kyle Lowry and Ayahna Cornish-Lowry join Toronto Tempo Ownership Group". Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  30. Staff, Sportsnet (August 18, 2026). "Tempo unveil Dot the Arctic Hare and Dez the Snapping Turtle as mascots". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  31. https://tempo.wnba.com/news/historic-crowd-at-montreals-bell-centre-becomes-largest-regular-season-audience-in-wnba-history
  32. Press, Canadian (June 25, 2026). "Tempo's Marina Mabrey ties WNBA points record with 53 in win over Sparks". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  33. "Tempo Acquire Forward Aneesah Morrow From Connecticut Sun". tempo.wnba.com. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  34. Press, The Canadian (September 26, 2026). "Injuries derail Tempo's first WNBA season but players stay upbeat". TSN. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  35. read, CBC·8 min (September 28, 2026). "'Only up from here': Tempo's off-court success offers optimism after injury-ravaged inaugural campaign". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 28, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. read, Gemma Karstens-Smith·3 min (August 24, 2026). "Toronto Tempo's injury woes continue as Sykes, Morrow ruled out for season". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 28, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. Leite, Chelsea (September 25, 2026). "Tempo close out season tied for top draft odds". TSN. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  38. "TSN to broadcast and stream all Tempo games as part of multi-year deal with WNBA". The Canadian Press. May 5, 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  39. Faguy, Steve [@fagstein] (May 5, 2026). "TSN will broadcast all but one Toronto Tempo game this season (June 25 game will be on Prime)" (Tweet). Retrieved May 5, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  40. "ESPN Original Series 'Setting the Tempo' premieres September 20, chronicling the launch of the Toronto Tempo - ESPN Press Room". September 15, 2026. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  41. "Toronto Tempo Name Sandy Brondello as Inaugural Head Coach". Toronto Tempo. November 4, 2025.