WNBA is new in Toronto but women’s basketball has a long history in Canada - BERITAJA

The WNBA, not surprisingly, chose Canada arsenic the state to widen its footprint extracurricular of the U.S. for the first time.

But while the convention will person a caller franchise successful the state pinch the description  Toronto Tempo making their debut this season, Canada has been sending a pipeline of players to the U.S. for much than 3 decades.

Kelly Boucher was the first Canadian subordinate to compete successful the league, playing a play pinch the Charlotte Sting successful 1998. Stacey Dales was the highest draught prime of a Canadian, going 3rd successful 2002 to the Washington Mystics.

“I deliberation backmost to erstwhile I was increasing up the WNBA wasn’t moreover connected TV successful Canada erstwhile I was increasing up,” said Portland’s Bridget Carleton, who is Canadian. “So to person a squad successful Toronto, successful our country, is conscionable surreal. The young kids are really excited for it, to person entree to that and conscionable women’s sports being much visible, truthful it’s exciting.”

It appeared to beryllium only a matter of time. There were about 150 Canadians connected Division I assemblage rosters this past season, including South Carolina’s Agot Makeer — a breakout prima successful the NCAA Tournament.

Three Canadians were selected successful the WNBA draught this year, 2nd to the 2016 draught erstwhile 4 were chosen. This was the 4th consecutive twelvemonth that a Canadian subordinate was chosen successful the draft.

Kia Nurse has seen what the NBA’s Toronto Raptors person done successful the maturation of men’s hoops successful Canada and believes the Tempo could do the aforesaid connected the women’s side.

“We could now section an Olympic men’s squad pinch conscionable NBA players and successful the adjacent 10-15 years of the Tempo being successful Canada,” Nurse said, “we’ll beryllium capable to section a women’s nationalist squad successful Canada pinch WNBA players.”

Nurse was 1 of 3 Canadian players successful the convention past twelvemonth connected teams’ last rosters and is the lone Canadian playing for the Tempo — about 45 minutes from wherever she grew up.

“The invited I sewage from the fans was truthful amazing,” Nurse said successful a telephone question and reply Monday. “The first preseason crippled to spot my parents and friends and a bunch of group successful the hoops organization present was really cool for me.”

Nurse scored the first handbasket successful Tempo history, hitting a 3-pointer to commencement disconnected the preseason crippled against the Connecticut Sun.

“It’s a fairytale to beryllium present each together,” Nurse said, adding that pinch each the “ups and downs successful my career, this feels right.”

Prior to this season, the WNBA has played 3 games successful Canada, including a regular-season crippled betwixt Seattle and Atlanta past year. The different 2 were accumulation games successful 2024 (Los Angeles and Seattle) and 2023 (Chicago and Minnesota).

The Tempo will play 2 regular-season games in Montreal and 2 successful Vancouver. They’ll besides play 3 games astatine Scotiabank Arena, wherever the Raptors play. All Tempo games will aerial crossed Canada connected TSN arsenic portion of a caller multiyear Canadian media authorities statement announced Tuesday.

“The Tempo is Canada’s team, and it is incredibly important that arsenic galore group arsenic imaginable are capable to watch our games and consciousness portion of the Tempo community,” Tempo squad president Teresa Resch said. “Whether you’re a longtime sports instrumentality aliases discovering the WNBA for the first time, Canadians should person the opportunity to acquisition the Tempo and our unthinkable players for themselves. This leaguewide statement delivers consistent, high-quality sum from 1 of the country’s biggest broadcasters, and it reflects the biggest broadcast woody the WNBA has ever had extracurricular of the United States.”

While Canada was the first world description for the league, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said earlier the draught past period that she plans connected teams playing games overseas adjacent year.

“We’re heavy looking astatine that,” Engelbert said of playing either an accumulation aliases regular-season crippled overseas. “Obviously this twelvemonth we person the FIBA World Cup. Next twelvemonth we expect that we’ll do thing extracurricular of North America arsenic a existent world game.”