The WNBA off-season continues to chug along, but not without a few updates on the Toronto Tempo.
From players to the head coach, the expansion franchise has been making the rounds through the news cycle as of late.
With that being said, he’s a Tempo-related roundup to keep you in the loop.
Tempo goes Unrivaled
The return of WNBA basketball is still months away — not until May 1. But that doesn’t mean fans of the Toronto Tempo have to wait to see their players in action.
Unrivaled Basketball — the professional women’s 3-on-3 basketball league established by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart in 2025 — is back for a third season and there will be plenty of Tempo representation.
Six players from Toronto’s inaugural roster will be taking part, including a couple sticking together as teammates. All-Star Marina Mabrey will team up with Temi Fagbenle alongside Collier, Courtney Williams, Skylar Diggins and Sydney Taylor on the Lunar Owls. And for those wondering, Mabrey’s record-setting efforts aren’t exclusive to the WNBA, as she also holds the Unrivaled single-game scoring record as well, with 47 points last season.
Meanwhile, All-Rookie Kiki Rice will reunite with Isabelle Harrison alongside Canadian Bridget Carleton, Stewart, Arike Ogunbowale and 2026 champ Veronica Burton on Mist. It’ll be Rice’s first season playing for Unrivaled, previously having been partnered with the league through its “The Future is Unrivaled” NIL class. This presents a great development opportunity for the blossoming guard, as she’ll get to build even more chemistry with Harrison, whom the Tempo should look to bring back via free agency after a breakout season, and gain valuable insight from the many vets on her team. Stewart and Ogunbowale are among the WNBA’s most prolific scorers, Carleton is a career 38 per cent three-point shooter and Burton just helped the Golden State Valkyries win it all. Rice spoke plenty throughout her rookie season about how much she learned from the likes of Mabrey and Brittney Sykes, and she’ll likely make the most of this opportunity as well.
And speaking of Sykes, she’ll be on Rose, teaming up with Shakira Austin, Chelsea Gray, Aziaha James, Lexie Hull and Kayla Thornton. Aneesah Morrow joins Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, Jordin Canada and Flau’Jae Johnson on Vinyl.
Unrivaled action begins on Jan. 8, starting with Rice and Harrison’s Mist taking on the Phantom in Boston, while we’ll get our first Tempo vs. Tempo matchup later that evening in Los Angeles when Sykes and the Rose take on Mabrey, Fagbenle and the Lunar Owls.
Each team plays a 14-game regular season, with matchups scheduled across eight major U.S. tour stops. And for a quick breakdown of the game format: Teams play full-court 3-on-3 — on a condensed court — through four seven-minute quarters and with a target-score ending.
Sandy Brondello is a Hall of Famer (x2)
With the New York Liberty letting go of head coach Chris DeMarco after just one season, it makes the decision to part ways with Brondello in 2025 that much more head-scratching.
But the Liberty’s loss was the Tempo’s gain, as they were able to snag the accomplished bench boss as the franchise’s first-ever head coach. And while the immediate result was an 11-33 record and Brondello missing the playoffs for the first time as a WNBA head coach, she was sold on the Tempo as a long-term project and preached patience consistently throughout Year 1 to affirm that point of view.
And if you’re wondering if the Tempo and Brondello are deserving of that trust and forbearance, it’s safe to say her resume speaks for itself.
Brondello was recently honoured with inductions into not one, but two Hall of Fames. First, she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, being honoured alongside her home nation’s most iconic and accomplished sporting figures. Brondello won three Olympic medals with the Opals as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and then coached them to a silver (2018) and bronze (2022) at the FIBA World Cup, and bronze at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
And then on Thursday, it was announced that Brondello was also being inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame — making her just the fourth Aussie to join the prestigious group. She’ll be inducted alongside WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, Mike Thibault, Dee Kantner, Molly Bolin Kazmer, and Dr. Judith Holland for the Class of 2027.
Brondello accomplished plenty as a player: A one-time WNBA all-star, WNBL MVP and three-time Olympic medalist. But then did even more as a coach, winning two WNBA championships with two different franchises. In 2014, Brondello led the Phoenix Mercury, along with Taurasi, to the franchise’s third title in just her first season as the head coach. And then in 2024, she led the Liberty to their first championship, shortly after they took home the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup.
“For nearly thirty years, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame has honoured the greatest of the game, and we are thrilled to welcome these six inductees into the distinguished seats of the Hall of Fame,” CEO of the WBHOF Michelle Marciniak said in a statement. “Selection for this esteemed recognition celebrates the hard work, success, and record-breaking journeys for those to join this global class. We cannot wait to welcome the Class of 2027.”
