Toronto Tempo basketball hits Vancouver with two games in the Cross Canada series

Thunderstorms weren’t the only spectacle making a splash in Vancouver this weekend. 

The Toronto Tempo, Canada's first WNBA franchise, brought professional women’s basketball back to the lower mainland for a special showcase. The team played two regular season games at Rogers Arena as part of their Cross Canada Series to celebrate and grow the game across the country. 

Toronto treated fans to a three-point win Friday night against the WNBA’s other new expansion team the Portland Fire. Despite the loss for Portland, Canadian forward Bridget Carleton shined, pouring in 18 points including five threes. 

Sunday saw the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson come to town. Their championship DNA proved too much for Toronto as they beat the Tempo by 10 points to end the weekend. Canadian Tempo guard Kia Nurse, cousin of Vancouver Goldeneye’s forward Sarah Nurse, poured in 19 points, four rebounds and four assists in the losing effort. 

The Tempo now sit at 13th in the WNBA standings with a record of 11 wins and 26 losses. Their next game is Wednesday, Aug. 26 against the Seattle Storm. 

Could Vancouver sustain a WNBA team?

The WNBA has seen rapid growth in the past few years. In 2024, the league reported a tripling in viewership across TV networks and an 800% growth in merchandise sales over a year period. 

Much of this can be linked to star talents like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers coming into the league after impactful college careers. With more talent pouring into the league, expansion is only natural. 

Toronto and Portland are the first in a new chapter for the WNBA, but could Canada see more teams come their way?

These Vancouver games followed a successful showcase in Montreal, where the Toronto Tempo set a new WNBA regular-season attendance record, with 20,996 fans in attendance. 

Vancouver also made history last year with the first ever WNBA regular season games in the city with the Seattle Storm facing the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 15, 2025. That game drew a sold-out crowd of 15,892 in attendance.

(Photo: Darius Fuladi)

Friday’s game dropped compared to last year with an announced attendance of 12,414. But Sunday’s showcase brought back another 15,877 fans to support the team. 

The only professional basketball team in the province is the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. The team averages around 4,400 fans per game at the Langley Events Centre, the second highest attendance according to the league.

Of course, there are many other factors to consider before a WNBA expansion to Vancouver could be possible. But it’s clear that basketball fans show up when given the opportunity here on the west coast.