Tempo make historic hire amid preparation for Toronto inaugural season

The WNBA made headlines this past year with the announcement of three new expansion teams set to begin play within the coming years. While the Golden State Valkyries will play their inaugural season this year in 2025, the latest franchises, in Toronto and Portland, will not make their debut until the 2026 season. While the Portland franchise has yet to be named, the Toronto team will be called the Tempo, revealed after an online gaff. The Tempo made headlines on Wednesday, with the the announcement of a general manager, former WNBA player Monica Wright Rogers, as per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.

As general manager, Monica Wright Rogers will be tasked with building the Tempo into a contender. And luckily for the Tempo, she knows a thing or two about winning in the WNBA.

During Wright Rogers’ seven year career in the WNBA, she played six of those seasons with the Minnesota Lynx during their dynasty years. She was a part of the team’s 2011 and 2013 championship teams, playing as a key backup guard.

She comes to the Tempo after having served as assistant general manager of the Phoenix Mercury, a position she held for the past two seasons.

Monica Wright Rogers’ WNBA playing days

Wright Rogers was originally selected by the Lynx with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft. She made an impact as a rookie right away, averaging 11.1 points. She was top-five on the team in scoring on a roster that featured Hall of Fame talents in Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson.

In 2013, during the Lynx’s second title run, Wright Rogers finished second in both the Most Improved Player voting and the Sixth Player of the Year voting.

During the 2015 season, she was traded by the Lynx to the Seattle Storm, but was unable to make her debut due to a knee injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the season. She suited up for the Storm in 2016, but didn’t really make an impact in 16 games played. That would end up being her final season in the WNBA.

Wright Rogers went on to coaching following the end of her playing days. She was an assistant coach at Liberty for one year, and then became an assistant coach at Virginia.

While she was still playing in the WNBA, she was at one point engaged to NBA star Kevin Durant, although the pair ultimately broke up. Wright Rogers also has experience playing with Team USA’s U19 team at the FIBA u19 World Championship in 2007.