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Well, after a very short training camp and preseason, the Toronto Tempo has just announced its opening day roster for the team’s inaugural WNBA season, unveiling a squad built with experienced veterans, international talent, and promising young players.
The roster includes several well-known WNBA names including local basketball icon Kia Nurse as well as Marina Mabrey, and Brittney Sykes. Nurse will help lead the Tempo into their first season while providing hometown representation for Toronto fans.
When asked how opening night will feel in a recent interview, Nurse reflected on what it took to get to this moment.
“I will feel like a full circle moment. I think it’ll be hard to put into words as I’m going through it, but just having put so much into basketball and being a role model and trying to help grow the game in this country, and having to do that from not inside the country a lot of the times has been really difficult,” Nurse explained. “So it’ll be nice to know that when I am running out there, my family will be in the stands, my nephews will be there to watch. And to me, that’s the ultimate thank you to my parents and everything that they sacrificed, and ultimately my whole village, which is all the players I’ve played with and coaches that I’ve played for, a lot of them will be in the building, so it’ll be really fun to be able to run out on that court.”
Toronto’s lineup also features a strong international presence with players from Lithuania, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Greece, and the United Kingdom. Among them are forward Nyara Sabally of Germany, Spanish wing María Conde, Belgian guard Julie Allemand, and British center Temi Fágbénlé.
The team also added several rookies, including first-ever draft pick and former UCLA guard Kiki Rice and Kentucky forward Teonni Key, as the franchise looks to build a competitive foundation for the future.
Mariella Fasoula joins the club on a developmental contract, adding depth to the frontcourt.
Here is the Tempo’s Opening Day roster:
- Kiki Rice – Guard
- Laura Juškaitė – Wing
- Marina Mabrey – Guard
- Teonni Key – Forward
- Nyara Sabally – Forward
- María Conde – Wing
- Kia Nurse – Guard
- Lexi Held – Guard
- Temi Fágbénlé – Center
- Brittney Sykes – Wing
- Isabelle Harrison – Forward
- Julie Allemand – Guard
- Mariella Fasoula – Center (Developmental Contract)
To come up with its final roster, Toronto waived Aaliyah Nye, Kitija Laska, and Nina Milic. The organization also retained the rights to Maria Kliundikova, Adja Kane, Saffron Shiels, Charlisse Dunn, and Yvonne Ejim.
Ejim is a member of the Canadian women’s national team and was drafted 33rd overall by the Indiana Fever in last year’s draft after playing college with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The Tempo will officially begin their WNBA journey on May 8, when they host the Washington Mystics at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
