Inside Toronto's New WNBA Dream Team
The Toronto Tempo arrived just over a year ago. Here's how the city built its first professional women's basketball franchise.
When the WNBA announced its first expansion outside the US on May 23, 2024, Toronto's basketball world shifted. The league selected the city as its 14th team, fulfilling a long-standing dream for local hoops fans who'd watched 19,000 people pack Scotiabank Arena for a pre-season exhibition between Minnesota and Chicago—the largest crowd in the league's pre-season history.
The Toronto Tempo represents more than a team arrival; it signals recognition that women's professional basketball has an audience here, a real one, ready to show up. Owner's investment, roster assembly, coaching hires—the infrastructure of a sports franchise demands serious capital and operational planning. The fanbase had already proven itself; the Tempo's job was to meet that energy and build something sustainable.
For a city obsessed with the Raptors, the Leafs' frustrations, and TFC's unpredictability, a new franchise brings fresh possibility. Women's basketball has grown visibly in Toronto—university programs are stronger, street courts busier, media coverage deepening. The Tempo's inaugural roster, coaching staff, and marketing approach reflect that momentum.
What makes the Tempo's story compelling isn't just that they exist—it's that Toronto was the place the league chose to prove expansion works in Canada. The city got its team because the city already showed it cared.