By Nicole Fernandes
TORONTO, May 8 (Reuters) - The WNBA officially arrived in Canada on Friday with the Toronto Tempo tipping off their inaugural season against the Washington Mystics in front of an electric, sellout home crowd.
Fans young and old sporting the Tempo's bordeaux and borealis blue gear brought the energy all night at Coca-Cola Coliseum, letting out a roaring, prideful cheer after the Toronto Children’s Choir sang the national anthem "O Canada."
Many fearless young girls wearing Tempo T-shirts
were spotlighted on the jumbotron, keeping the crowd of 8,210 entertained during breaks with their dancing.
And while there was no shortage of love for Canadian Kia Nurse during player introductions, it was Canadian women's soccer great Christine Sinclair who drew some of the night’s loudest, longest cheers when shown on the big screen.
The arrival of the WNBA’s first franchise outside the U.S. marks a new chapter for the league and Canada, which lacked an avenue for women to play top-tier, professional basketball on home soil.
It’s a moment 30-year-old Nurse, who grew up just outside Toronto, has been waiting for.
“It’s really special and it’s kind of a full-circle moment,” Nurse said last week, adding that she's “grateful for the opportunity to be on this stage and to be given this platform for growing women’s basketball in Canada.”
Toronto proved it was ready for the WNBA in 2023, when a preseason exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky drew a sellout crowd of nearly 20,000 to Scotiabank Arena, home of the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
Tempo players felt the excitement building before they even dribbled a ball, with the city’s passionate fans pledging their support in the weeks leading up to the home opener.
That usually comes with being “the new thing in town,” said Tempo centre Temi Fágbénlé, who was with the Golden State Valkyries during their inaugural season last year.
“But it’s more than just a new thing,” Fágbénlé said. “It’s supporting women’s sports. So many young girls [and] older women as well haven’t seen this in Canada.”
Nurse believes that visibility will benefit the national team, saying one day “you’ll be able to field an entire (Canadian) Olympic roster from WNBA players because these will be Tempo-influenced players.”
Nurse has also been emphasizing to her teammates that they’ll have an entire country behind them.
The Tempo will play two regular-season games each in Montreal and Vancouver this season, embracing their role as “Canada’s team.” Nurse said those visits will help create a sense of belonging for fans and aspiring athletes.
“(Sports is) a place where you belong,” said Nurse. “It’s a place where you can look out on the court and see somebody that looks like you and resonate with them, resonate with their story.
“To be able to do that across Canada is truly special.”
Like her players, head coach Sandy Brondello sees the franchise as a testament to the growth of women’s basketball.
Having been involved in the WNBA for 27 years now, the two-time champion has enjoyed seeing the evolution of the league, from expansions to sponsorship deals and the overall rising interest in the women’s game.
For her, the addition of the Tempo will help continue the momentum, especially in Canada.
“We are creating history,” Brondello said. “But we want to make history, too.”
(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue)
