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A banner welcoming the Toronto Tempo to Canada is visible on a railing before the season opener against the Washington Mystics at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 8, 2026. (Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was in the building, and she anticipated an emotional reaction as she thought ahead of the game about what it would mean to take in the first international franchise\u2019s first game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a little emotional today for me,\u201d she told reporters. \u201cI\u2019ve gone to Toronto plenty of times in my prior life, but as the WNBA commissioner, I was here right as the pandemic hit. I think it was February 2020 because we were actually going to announce we were doing a preseason game here that year. Obviously, the world blew up in the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s kind of emotional to be here for the tip of the first Toronto Tempo game. It\u2019s a great sign and signal, not just for Toronto and Canada, but globally and internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pregame ceremonies began 45 minutes before tipoff, as Engelbert, team owners, Toronto mayor Olivia Chow and some community partners met at center court for photos. One of the most moving moments of the night came as the first-ever Tempo squad was announced. The welcome cheers for Nurse continued to echo through the rafters long after she was shown on the jumbotron.<\/p>\n
The seven-year WNBA veteran and the Tempo\u2019s lone Canadian also took the microphone to thank the fans and kick off the milestone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake this the hardest arena to come play in, all season long,\u201d she said. Her audience certainly responded.<\/p>\n
Toronto took a different approach to the anthem compared with many other WNBA teams. Instead of leaving the court for the anthem, the players stayed and wrapped their arms around each other, with Nurse singing along.<\/p>\n
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Tempo center Temi Fagbenle<\/a> lined up against Mystics center Shakira Austin<\/a> for the opening tip. Although it resulted in a quick basket for the Mystics, the outcome was still miraculously Canadian, as the first player to score on Toronto\u2019s court was Quebec native Cassandre Prosper<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Brittney Sykes<\/a> made Tempo history moments later when an imperfect shot she took from a step inside the 3-point line rattled around before falling through the net and igniting the crowd. \u201cSlim,\u201d as she\u2019s known in the basketball world, had appeared on Tempo social media accounts ahead of the game saying she wanted to drain those first points, and her wish came true.<\/p>\n The fans were amped when Sykes\u2019 shot fell, and they remained that way through all four frames.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great moment. Sad that we didn\u2019t win the game, didn\u2019t close it out, but the fans were fantastic,\u201d Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello<\/a> told reporters postgame.<\/p>\n Torontonians showed up with such vigor that it became a topic of conversation for the Mystics postgame as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was lit. I was excited to play here,\u201d Austin told reporters. \u201cThe environment was loud, very loud. They really cheered for their hometown. So it was good to see. \u2026 Can\u2019t wait to play here again and see how we can compete. I think it was a good competition.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the biggest crowd moments came in the fourth quarter, when Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair \u2014 who was in attendance \u2014 was featured on the big screen<\/a>. Fans erupted in deafening cheers that rendered all other conversations at the arena impossible. The reaction was yet another reminder of the respect and appetite for women\u2019s sports \u2014 whether on the court, ice or field \u2014 in this country.<\/p>\n Former Toronto Raptors executive and principal Tempo owner Masai Ujiri was also in attendance on Friday. As one of the city\u2019s biggest basketball figures and women\u2019s sports advocates, Ujiri also elicited huge respect from the fans. He\u2019s been involved from the start in establishing the Tempo and began vocalizing his support for a WNBA franchise in the city while serving as the Raptors\u2019 president of basketball operations from 2016 to 2025. So Friday wasn\u2019t something he would miss, even on a quick turnaround after a trip to Dallas, where he was introduced as the Dallas Mavericks\u2019 president, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Lilly Singh is another member of the Tempo ownership group who traveled to make the game. Bearing the official title of chief hype officer, Singh took her duties literally when she got behind the mic midway through the game and tried to bring even more energy to the stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark\u201d is out now!<\/p>\n Howard Megdal\u2019s newest book is here! \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar\u201d captures both the historic nature of Clark\u2019s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.<\/p>\n Not everything about the Tempo\u2019s showing was hype, though.<\/p>\n Just about two weeks of practice time \u2014 less for the international players who joined after training camp began \u2014 translated into many issues to work out.<\/p>\n Offence was the first obvious struggle. Most of the Tempo\u2019s scoring came from two players: Marina Mabrey<\/a>, who had a game-high 27 points, and Sykes, who dropped 14. Nerves certainly were a factor for the young group, but so was the lack of time and chemistry with each other. It\u2019s something the team has been vocal about working on throughout training camp<\/a>, but implicit trust among teammates can rarely be established in such a tight time frame.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone should be a leader when they\u2019re out there,\u201d Brondello said. \u201cThe more we talk, the more trust that we have. Slim is one of the veteran players on this team, and that\u2019s a responsibility. Marina as well. Nyara [Sabally]<\/a>\u2018s young, but she still has a voice. \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard, but we have to embrace hard. We have to be uncomfortable before we can get comfortable, and we need the veterans to help.\u201d<\/p>\n For the game, Toronto totaled eight assists, an incredibly small number given the type of offensive basketball Brondello is hoping to play. Its success this season will hinge heavily on its ability to improve this stat and play as a team.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-13.png\")
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