Toronto, ON – May 23: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other dignitaries announce the expansion of … [+]
Toronto Star via Getty Images
This past week, the WNBA’s next expansion team released its name and logo two years ahead of their inaugural 2026 campaign.
The newly minted Toronto Tempo unveiled an official professional brand title through the WNBA’s Instagram and X accounts on Thursday morning, Dec. 5. It’s namesake was deemed as an ode to Toronto’s electric pulse as a city according to new Tempo president Teresa Resch.
“Tempo is pace. It’s speed. It’s a heartbeat. And it’s what you feel when you step into the streets of this city, and in the energy of the people who call Canada home,” Resch said in the team’s news release. “As Canada’s WNBA team, I know the Tempo will set our own pace, move at a championship cadence, and inspire people across this country.”
Toronto’s team logo features an italicized “T” inside a basketball circle, with six lines protruding from the left side of the circle. Tempo representatives voiced that the lines represent the team’s five players and its local fanbase.
“Tempo reflects what fans can expect from this team — including, of course, the in-game experience at the arena,” Resch further stated. “The sounds of the court. The beat of the music. The passion of the fans around you and the intensity of the players on the floor. Capturing all that energy, excitement and feeling was crucial as we chose the name for Canada’s WNBA team.”
More than 10,000 locals participated through a public outreach voting process to make the Tempo name a reality.
Toronto was granted its first WNBA team in May of 2024 and will be the league’s first basketball organization outside of the United States. Their presence in two years will also mark the association’s 14th basketball franchise and its second expansion team in two seasons behind the Golden State Valkyries.
The team will be under the ownership and operation of a Toronto-based investment group called Kilmer Sports Ventures. The group has current ownership ties with the city’s three major professional sports teams in the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and MLS’ Toronto FC.
