Oh noooo!!!

What matters more to you:

A. Attention generated by athletic excellence, rivalry, or genuine sporting drama

Or

B. Attention generated by a culture-war flashpoint that puts a marginalized group's existence up for debate as entertainment.

PS I watch sports for sports. It is like all celebrity drama. I don't care about who is dating who as much as the game. But I know that isn't for everyone. And that is aok, long as there is no harm or hate wrapped in the word love.

With Ms Cunningham coming to town, I'm curious what people think…

https://apple.news/A2V65FUwPReKw9dn_4jk7Xg

Our crew is not from Toronto. Ordering online has been hit and miss, with sizing all over the place. So we saved our pennies for when we came to Toronto for some games in early June. We thought surely we would find merch everywhere!? Ugh, we were wrong.

We break down what we found/didn’t find in all the places we went to in Toronto and give some advice for folks like us that are looking for Tempo merch!

Read the full piece here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/06/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-tempo-merch/

Holly Rowe had a job to do on Tuesday night. But before she took the ESPN mic, the veteran WNBA sideline reporter spent the pregame wiping away tears.

Before the Fever vs Tempo matchup at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, Rowe posted a video of herself overcome by the sold-out crowd of more than 19,000.

"I keep crying because look at what they have built in Canada," she said. The game had been moved from the Toronto Tempo's usual home at Coca-Cola Coliseum to accommodate demand.

That demand is something the Tempo have been fielding all season.

Toronto is one of two WNBA expansion teams this season alongside the Portland Fire. Yet in just its first few months in the league, the Tempo filled a major arena. A July matchup against the Dallas Wings set a new regular-season attendance record with over 20,000 fans in attendance.

Still, Holly Rowe crying on camera drew as much attention as tip off itself. Her reaction captured how far the league has come in its 30th year.

The Dallas Wings and Toronto Tempo are set to be part of WNBA history.

On July 10, the Wings will visit the Tempo at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The game is part of the Tempo Cross-Canada Series, and a sold-out crowd could set the all-time attendance record for women's basketball. The Bell Centre has a capacity of 22,114. That would surpass the current record of 22,076 set twice during the WNBA playoffs.

The league's postseason attendance record was set in Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks and again in Game 5 of the 2007 WNBA Finals between the Shock and Phoenix Mercury. Both events were hosted at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The matchup at the Bell Centre would also leapfrog a WNBA regular-season attendance record set in 2024. The Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics set the record at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. with 20,711 fans in attendance.

There's also an all-time attendance record at stake as well. On January 30, 2026, Unrivaled set the record in women's basketball for a regular-season game with 21,490 people at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

“Playing two games in Montreal this summer is a huge moment for the Tempo and for basketball in Canada,” Tempo president Teresa Resch said via release.

“From the beginning, we’ve said we want to be Canada’s team, and bringing the WNBA to Montreal is an important part of that vision. There is such a strong and passionate basketball community in Quebec, and we’re excited to connect with fans there in a meaningful way."

Didn’t know that was possible!

All star weekend is here! With that, the Tempo get a much-needed break before we enter into the latter half of this season.

At tempo.basketball, we took this moment to reflect back on the Tempo’s inaugural season thus far. We offer five observations:

1. Marina Mabrey was the best pick in the expansion draft.
2. The Tempo would be in the playoffs if we had Shakira Austin
3. The Toronto Tempo do not feel like an expansion team
4. We need a defensive identity
5. Is being the best of the rest a worthwhile goal for the season? 

Read the full piece here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/07/5-observations-on-the-tempo-season-thus-far/

Is there anything that we missed? Would love to hear your thoughts!

From our game report on the last Tempo win against the LA Sparks:

Tonight, the Tempo continue their road trip and play the Phoenix Mercury.

The Tempo continue to wrestle with frontcourt injuries. Isabelle Harrison, Temi Fagbenle, and Nyara Sabally will not be playing this game. On the backcourt, Julie Allemand continues to be out.  

Meanwhile, Alyssa Thomas continues to show that she is thriving as Phoenix’s hub for the offense with her exceptional ability to pass and score in the post.

The Mercury also have a knack for finding diamonds overseas. Already, newcomer Jovana Nogic – an undrafted guard from Serbia – has been absolutely lighting it up, averaging 16 points a game and shooting 65% from 3.

We are already sounding like a broken record, but containing damage by Phoenix’s bigs, especially Alyssa Thomas, will make or break this game. Without three of our bigs, Tempo fans that got frustrated with LA’s ‘deep seals’ leading to easy buckets may see even more of that tonight by Alyssa Thomas. The Tempo will have to dig deep and hustle even harder for rebounds or else it might be a long night. 

You can read the full piece at tempo.basketball here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/05/toronto-tempo-vs-los-angeles-sparks-may-17-2026-game-report/

A snippet from our most recent article on tempo.basketball:

While the world rightfully watches the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries battle it out for WNBA supremacy, it is hard not to think about our Toronto Tempo and what it will take them to get to this stage one day. 

After a rollercoaster season that started with promise and ended with injuries and disappointment, the Tempo have a golden opportunity to take steps in the right direction this offseason. 

Here are five questions that they need to address:

1. Who can end our frontcourt woes? All season long, it was abundantly clear that the Tempo have a glaring need for an improved front court but finding help this offseason might be easier said than done. There are some free agents worth targeting though.
2. Can we come up with a more successful offensive game plan? While we don't need to pile on about how our offense went sideways in the latter part of the season thanks to injuries, we do have to admit that the Tempo struggled scoring inside the paint all season long. Interestingly, advanced stats shows that the Tempo TRIED to score inside the paint but just weren't very good at it. We wonder if the team needs to revisit our offensive game plan or double down with a healthier squad.
3. Should the Tempo revisit their mix of veterans vs young players? Last season, the Tempo ranked 5th in the league in average age of players. Going into this offseason, a lot of our older players will be free agents. It will be interesting to see if the team rebalance the age of their team with more youth.
4. Can we develop a defensive identity? As we have seen in this year’s playoffs, the two best defensive teams made it to the finals with similar styles of being very physical, energetic, aggressive, and disruptive on the defensive end. Meanwhile, the Tempo ended the season as the worst defensive team in the WNBA. Addressing this area will be crucial for the Tempo.
5. Who is a starter and who isn’t? The Toronto Tempo currently share the best odds to select the top pick in the upcoming 2027 rookie draft. This is very exciting and the player they pick can potentially be franchise-changing. The draft is also unfortunately guard and wing-heavy and could cause a logjam in the starting lineup next season. Between Brittney Sykes, Chef Marina Mabrey, WNBA all-rookie Kiki Rice, and the top 2027 pick, who comes off the bench next season?

Read the entire article here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/10/5-offseason-questions-for-the-toronto-tempo/

A snippet from our most recent game report on tempo.basketball:

Right from the jump, both the Tempo and the Sun understood the brief and rested most of their key players. With the understanding that we were never going to be treated to the highest level of competitive basketball, the good from this game comes from the little moments. 

We saw Teonni Key have some really good defensive moments and Zaay Green highlights capped off the first AND third quarters. Meanwhile, Isabelle Harrison found lots of success with the pick-and-roll.

However, the star of this game for the Tempo was Kiki Rice. Rice once again showcased how unstoppable she is at driving to the basket with her unique combination of speed, force, and strength. She also showed off her post moves, made long-range shots, and she finished off the final game of her rookie season by setting a new career high of 28 points. In hindsight, getting Rice with the sixth overall pick was an absolute heist.

The same issues that have plagued the team all season long reared its head one last time this season. Simply put, the Sun dominated the paint, outscoring the Tempo 54 – 38. In the first half, Aaliyah Edwards muscled her way for offensive rebounds, layups, and trips to the free throw line. In the third, the Sun made a consolidated effort to dump it into the post and find the mismatch. Reegan Beers put on a masterclass of how a pure centre can help your team and why the Tempo sorely needed one this season. 

And yet, all of that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that the Tempo now share the best lottery odds for the number 1 pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft with the Connecticut Sun. While it is not guaranteed that Juju Watkins declares for the draft, these odds give Toronto plenty of hope for their short-term and long-term future. 

Read the full game report here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/09/tempo-vs-sun-game-report-september-242026/

The WNBA trade deadline is fast approaching! To be clear, I don’t think the Toronto Tempo are going to make any moves before the trade deadline. But, in the spirit of this trade season, here are 3 mock trades we cooked up at tempo.basketball that the Tempo should consider:

1. Temi Fágbénlé to the Dallas Wings for Alanna Smith
2. Temi Fágbénlé and the 2028 first round pick to the Washington Mystics for Shakira Austin
3. Maria Conde to the Dallas Wings for Li Yueru

Read the reasons for why these trades could help the Tempo here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/07/3-trade-ideas-for-the-toronto-tempo/

Thoughts? Any other fun trades that we missed?

TORONTO (AP) — The WNBA's decision to make Toronto the home of its first international team is going well.

Tempo fans can be found across Canada. The expansion team could break the WNBA single-game attendance record next week. Not in Toronto, however, but almost 350 miles east in Montreal.

On the opening leg of their Cross Canada Series, the Tempo are playing two games at Montreal's Bell Centre, which holds 22,114 for basketball. A capacity crowd could top the WNBA playoff attendance record of 22,076.

In August, the series heads west for two games in Vancouver.

“We’ve put the work in and we’re continuing to get better every game, so I think the support is going to continue," said Tempo guard Marina Mabrey. "It’s very inspiring to see this kind of hype and energy around it in Canada. It kind of motivates you to do better every single night.”

The Tempo have two home games before playing Dallas July 10 in Montreal. They have been giving fans much to be excited about. Toronto is one game under .500 with a 9=10 record thanks in part to the scoring of Mabrey, who is having an All-Star caliber season averaging 21.2 points a game, third-best third in the WNBA.

From our most recent piece on tempo.basketball, we broke down what to expect on the court from the newest Toronto Tempo, Zaay Green.

When looking at Green’s game, it’s clear that she can score the ball in a variety of ways. She likes to operate off pick-and-roll screens, get into the midrange then use her exceptional footwork and a medley of fakes, hesitation dribbles, and turnarounds to create space and pull up for a mid-range jumpshot. 

It is uncertain whether Zaay Green will help to solve the Tempo’s areas of weaknesses but she certainly fits in with our areas of strength.

Read the entire piece here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/08/who-is-zaay-green-the-newest-toronto-tempo-player/

From our most recent piece on tempo.basketball:

Tonight, the Tempo face the Portland Fire, who sit at 11–19 and are attempting to end a five-game losing streak of their own. Toronto has now lost seven straight, so something has to give.

This is one of the more winnable games remaining on the Tempo’s schedule, but they cannot afford another collapse after halftime like they did against the Valkryies again. Watching those games felt like deja-vu.

In both games, the Tempo came out strong, the Valkyries increased their physicality, Toronto became flustered, and the offence fizzled out in the fourth quarter. Even the last post-game presser sounded like it could have come from any of the previous six losses, with Sandy Brondello repeating the familiar message: “We’ve got to be a little bit tougher.”

Toronto needs to protect the ball, compete on the glass, and maintain its physicality for all four quarters, not just the first two. Maybe we can finally get back in the winning column!

Read our entire game report of the Tempo's loss against the Valkryies and outlook for tonight's game vs Portland here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/08/tempo-vs-valkyries-game-report-august-4-2026/

A snippet from our most recent game report on tempo.basketball:

The second quarter turned into a rookie masterclass for Toronto. Kiki Rice entered the game holding strong at 5th in WNBA rookie scoring, continuing to build an undeniable case for All-Rookie team honors by putting up 17 points in the first half alone. Meanwhile, the versatile and reliable Laura Juškaitė added 12 points in the half en route to a career-high 28-point performance. Both rookies showed supreme confidence, getting downhill and embracing contact for tough finishes against elite interior defenders.

Rice and Juškaitė have shown incredible growth and resilience in their debut WNBA seasons. Even as the losses piled up down the stretch, these rookies kept rising—battling with a smile and grit that makes the future of this franchise look exceptionally bright. (Not even a cut to the lip could slow Juškaitė down today.)

Ending the first half down 8 felt like a great place to be for the Tempo. They had weathered the hot shooting of the Liberty in the first quarter and turned defensive stops into easy transition buckets in the second. Unfortunately, this is where New York decided to turn things up a notch.

A blistering 33-point third quarter from New York ultimately dashed Toronto’s hopes of a home-court upset, but the scoreboard couldn’t quiet the crowd. As the final buzzer sounded, the faithful rose to their feet for a standing ovation lasting well over a minute—a fitting tribute to the team and an unforgettable inaugural season. While basketball fans and nerds like us can get caught up in the wins and losses of the season, the Tempo fans never wavered in the love and support they poured into this franchise from the jump. Let’s take a moment to let this sink in one more time. Canada has a WNBA team and it is here to stay!

Read the full report here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/09/tempo-vs-liberty-game-report-september-20-2026/

Thought this was a great piece on Laura and how she came from a small town in Lithuania and eventually to the WNBA

The Toronto Tempo released a statement on Wednesday, confirming veteran guard Brittney Sykes is still expected to return at some point this season as she works her way back from an injury.

During a loss to the WNBA-leading Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, the Minnesota broadcast displayed a graphic indicating Sykes was sidelined for the remainder of the 2026 campaign with a plantar fascia injury.

“A Minnesota broadcast last night incorrectly stated that Brittney Sykes was out for the remainder of the season following a plantar fascia injury suffered on June 16. She continues to make progress in her rehabilitation, is in the process of making a full recovery, and is expected to return this season,” the Tempo said in a release on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Sykes was having an All-Star season before going down with her injury in mid-June, averaging 20.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 15 games.

Sykes is in her 10th season in the WNBA after stints with the Atlanta Dream, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm.

The Tempo are currently on a four-game losing streak and have lost eight of their last nine games, falling to 10-17 on the season, five games behind the Mystics for the last playoff spot.

From our most recent piece on tempo.basketball:

The Tempo face off against the Golden State Valkyries in a rematch tonight. Last game, for two and a half quarters, the shorthanded Tempo kept up with the third-seeded Valkyries. Despite their lack of effectiveness from the 3-point line, the Tempo switched up their strategy, using physicality and attack inside the paint. While this has generally been an area in need of improvement, they executed the strategy against the Valkyries’ defense. 

However, in the final quarter and a half, Golden State adjusted their game plan and increased their physicality on both ends of the floor. From there, the scrappiness and physicality of the Valkyries flustered the Tempo, leading to Toronto turnovers and successful Golden State drives to the basket. This stretch was reminiscent of their first matchup where Golden State simply bullied the Tempo to submission. Unfortunately, the same problem reared its head again.

Tonight, knowing how much success the Valkyries have with their physicality, we expect them to bring that intensity from minute one. It is up to Coach Sandy Brondello and the Tempo to find ways to counter that intensity and find success without letting the Valkyries get under your skin. 

On offense, we liked seeing the Tempo attack the paint more. From this past game, you can see that Kiki Rice and Nyara Sabally can both be used in these ways. Can they find a better balance between going inside and shooting the 3-ball, making themselves more dynamic and harder for the Valkyries to guard? 

What might help is the arrival of newly acquired player, Aneesah Morrow, who is slated to play and does not back down from any physicality. It will be exciting to see what she brings, and this game could provide the perfect opportunity for her to showcase her strengths. 

Read the entire game report here: https://tempo.basketball/2026/08/tempo-vs-valkyries-game-report-august-2-2026/