Setting the Tempo
Canada's First WNBA Team is Already Setting Records in its Inaugural Season
Nearly 30 years after the WNBA’s first season, Canada received its first WNBA team: the Toronto Tempo. The team was first announced on December 5, 2024, and made its debut in the 2026 season. While the Tempo itself may be new, this team makes it easy to forget that.
This team has not only broken inaugural season records but has also broken multiple WNBA records across the board––and they are on pace to break more!
All eyes were on Marina Mabrey in the Tempo’s June 25 game against her former team, the LA Sparks.
The Tempo beat the Sparks 125-97, with Mabrey contributing 53 points to tie the single-game WNBA scoring record. In addition to her points, her nine 3-pointers in the game also tied the single-game WNBA record.
In this game, Mabrey accomplished another feat that no other WNBA player has as she became the first player in WNBA history to score 40+ points against her former team.
Mabrey currently sits 3rd among all WNBA players in points per game (PPG), tied with Caitlin Clark at an average of 21.2, and her teammate Brittany Sykes sits 5th with 20.1.
With a player like Mabrey on the team, the Tempo is able to keep pace with the other teams that have been around for years.
Beyond Mabrey’s success, the Tempo’s June 25 game against the Sparks set two WNBA records.
In scoring 125 points, the Tempo shattered the WNBA record for most points by an expansion team in its inaugural season. The Tempo’s previous team record was 111 points from their May 27 game against the Chicago Sky.
Additionally, the Tempo set the record for most points in a regulation game in WNBA history, which was previously held by the Phoenix Mercury with 120 points against the Indiana Fever in 2009. They currently hold the most points in a single game this season, setting the tempo that other teams have to keep up with.
It is no secret that the Toronto Tempo are a special team, and they seek more records.
As the first Canadian team in its inaugural season, the Tempo plays on various courts across Canada.
Their current WNBA regular-season home attendance record sits at 15,687 fans, set at Scotiabank Arena on June 27 against the Phoenix Mercury. Scotiabank Arena is home to the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) and Raptors (NBA), and the seating at this new venue allowed game attendance to nearly double the usual sold-out capacity of the Coca-Cola Coliseum, the Tempo’s primary home venue, also home of the Toronto Sceptres (PWHL) and Marlies (AHL).
On July 10 and 12, the Tempo will have two Cross-Canada Series games in Montréal at the Bell Centre, which is the primary home of the Canadiens (NHL) and occasionally the home of the reigning PWHL Walter Cup Champions, the Victoire.
Bell Centre has a seating capacity of 22,114, and selling out would not only set a new team record, but also a new WNBA attendance record. Currently, the WNBA regular season record is held by the Washington Mystics, with 20,711 fans, and the overall record is 22,076, which was set twice during the WNBA Finals in 2003 (Detroit Shock vs. Los Angeles Sparks) and 2007 (Detroit Shock vs. Phoenix Mercury).
It will be exciting to see what the Tempo has in store for the future, as they are definitely a team to watch both during and beyond their inaugural season.