‘We’re making history here, aren’t we?’: Toronto Tempo stars speak ahead of first-ever home opener

A Toronto Tempo logo on a basketball is shown as members of the media watch a broadcast of the WNBA Expansion Draft in Toronto, on Friday, April 3, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

The Toronto Tempo is just days away from tipping off as the first WNBA team in Canada, and some of the team’s stars say they’re already liking the rhythm of their new home.

“It’s kind of like a community (here). I see people on the street and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this place is really good. (Or) don’t go there. don’t go there,” guard Marina Mabrey said at a Monday morning press conference, noting that people “wouldn’t do that” in her hometown of New Jersey.

“Walking down the street, and they’re like, yelling out, like, ‘Go Tempo!’ Or like, they’re literally yelling out your name. That’s something to get used to...They have so much love for us, and we haven’t even dribbled a basketball on the court yet,” echoed guard Brittney Sykes.

The Tempo is one of two expansion teams launching in 2026, the other being Portland Fire, but the only WNBA franchise to operate outside of the United States.

The team is set two play two pre-season games on Wednesday and Friday of this week, before they open their season at home against the Washington Mystics on May 8. The game is sold out.

“We’re making history here, aren’t we?” head coach Sandy Brondello said, when asked how it felt walking into the Tempo locker room at Coca-Cola Coliseum for the first time.

“What they did to Coca-Cola to make it a fun space for the players, they have everything there that they need to prepare and get ready to play. It looks all brand new and all fresh. I think it’s great facility.”

The team will share the space with the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. The team announced earlier this month that it will open a brand-new training facility at Exhibition Place in 2028.

“I’m very excited for the players and the coaches to be able to have that space to call it theirs as they prepare to take on opponents and prepare for a game and post game,” general manager Monica Wright said of the Tempo’s home court.

Wright added that, from what she’s seen from the team so far, the lineup looks stellar.

“It’s very well organized, it’s upbeat, the energy is amazing. And so I’ve just had a lot of fun, from a basketball standpoint, being able to observe practice. And so that’s been fun.”

Toronto-based billionaire Larry Tanenbaum paid US$50 million in 2024 to bring the expansion franchise north of the border.