Monica Wright Rogers hired as Toronto’s first GM: What’s next for WNBA expansion team?

The Toronto Tempo have made their first basketball hire.

The franchise is bringing in Monica Wright Rogers, who was most recently assistant general manager for the Phoenix Mercury, as the first general manager in team history, a league source confirmed Wednesday. ESPN first reported the news.

Wright Rogers is the second assistant general manager to be hired by an expansion team, following Ohemaa Nyanin, who was an assistant GM in New York before moving to Golden State.

Wright Rogers played in the WNBA for seven seasons, winning two titles with the Minnesota Lynx after a decorated career at Virginia. When her playing career ended, she was an assistant coach for the Liberty and then her alma mater before joining the NBA league office. She spent two years with the Mercury and, per league sources, was under consideration for the general manager job in Washington before earning the role with Toronto.

With the Mercury, Wright Rogers led the scouting department for both college and pro players. She also handled communication with the league office and ensured compliance with contracts, among other responsibilities.

“No one has earned this more than Monica through both her work and her character,” Phoenix general manager Nick U’Ren told The Athletic. “I am beyond grateful for her friendship and what she has taught me during our time together. Toronto is so fortunate to have Monica’s kindness, preparedness and extensive basketball experience.”

The Tempo will join the WNBA alongside another expansion franchise in Portland in 2026, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 15. The expectation is that there will be another expansion draft before the 2026 season, but with the institution of a new collective bargaining agreement and nearly every veteran expected to be a free agent, the specifics of personnel movement remain in flux.

Toronto will next turn to hiring a head coach, though there is no rush since the team won’t take the court until May of next year. The Valkyries didn’t hire Natalie Nakase until October 2024, so there is a long runway ahead for the Tempo.

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(Photo of Wright driving to the basket during Game 1 of the 2011 WNBA Finals: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)