Toronto Tempo Embrace Role as “Canada’s Team” in Inaugural WNBA Season.

VANCOUVER, B.C. — When the NBA expanded into Canada in the 1995-96 season with the addition of the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies, basketball was still a secondary sport in a nation dominated by hockey. Over thirty years later, Canadian players are leaving a strong imprint on the NBA and international basketball. With MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge, Canada’s men’s national team boasts a roster filled with NBA talent. Even after the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis in 2001, the Raptors assumed the mantle of “Canada’s team,” culminating in their 2019 NBA championship. The Toronto Tempo, set to play their first WNBA season in 2026, aim to replicate that influence for women’s basketball. Pending a new collective bargaining agreement, the Tempo intend to represent the entire country, playing games across Canada during the season, which could significantly boost the growth of women’s basketball nationwide. “The impact the Tempo will have on women’s basketball is going to be exponential,” said Teresa Resch, team president of the Tempo. “Thirty years ago, the Raptors created the ‘Vince Carter effect.’ Today, we’re in a position where young Canadian players can see this path and realize they can achieve it.”

“Canada’s Team” from the Start

Tempo owner Larry Tanenbaum made his vision clear when the WNBA announced the expansion to Toronto in 2024. “This team is Canada’s team,” he declared. Tanenbaum, former chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment—the organization behind the Raptors—has leveraged his experience to guide the Tempo toward the same national unifying role. Resch, who previously helped expand the Raptors’ Canadian presence through the NBA Canada Series, emphasizes the importance of playing in cities outside Ontario. Preseason games and training camps across British Columbia and other provinces allowed the Raptors to build a nationwide fanbase, a model the Tempo plan to follow. For their inaugural season, the Tempo intend to host regular-season games in Vancouver and Montreal, ensuring a truly national presence.

The Vince Carter Effect

The NBA’s rise in Canada coincided with demographic changes and a general boom in the sport’s popularity. However, many credit Vince Carter, an electrifying All-Star drafted by the Raptors in 1998, with inspiring a generation of Canadian players. Eight-year WNBA veteran Kia Nurse, captain of Canada’s women’s national team, recalls growing up in Hamilton during Carter’s peak. “He made basketball cool in Canada,” she said. “Seeing players like him and Steve Nash paved the way for young Canadians to aspire to elite levels.”

The results are evident: when the NBA first expanded to Canada, only 11 primarily Canadian-born players had competed in league history. By the 2024 Olympics, Canada’s men’s team featured 11 NBA players, with 23 Canadians appearing in the 2024-25 NBA season, tying the national record.

A New Era for Canadian Women’s Basketball

Despite the men’s boom, Canadian women’s basketball has historically lagged. Last season, only four Canadians played in the WNBA, representing 2.2% of all players compared to 4.5% for men. The Tempo’s arrival promises to accelerate the growth of women’s basketball in Canada. “Growing up, women’s basketball wasn’t widely discussed as a career path,” Nurse said. “We didn’t have March Madness or national WNBA coverage on TV. Watching the Raptors, however, inspired me and many others.” The sport’s popularity among Canadian girls is evident. Resch notes that basketball ranks as the most played sport for girls, followed by soccer and volleyball, with hockey trailing behind. Emerging college stars such as Duke’s Toby Fournier and Michigan’s Syla Swords demonstrate the rising talent pool. Nurse’s AAU program, Kia Nurse Elite, has produced numerous Division I recruits, further strengthening the national pipeline. Looking ahead, Nurse is optimistic that Canada could eventually field a women’s national team composed almost entirely of WNBA players, similar to the men’s team today. The Tempo are poised to play a central role in realizing that vision, inspiring future generations to follow in their footsteps.