TORONTO — Monica Wright Rogers is just about ready to shift the Toronto Tempo into a new gear.
Wright Rogers has been focused on the business side of the new WNBA franchise in her first four months as the Tempo's inaugural general manager. But in the coming months, she'll turn her attention to assembling the on-court product before Toronto's debut in the 2026 season.
"It's been a very busy time, and I know that it's important right now to really get into the community, to learn the landscape of the sports industry here in Toronto and in Canada, and to continue to push the Tempo name out there," said Wright Rogers after speaking at a sports industry conference in downtown Toronto. "There is going to be a point where I shift focuses here and really start focusing on the task at hand, which is building out the Toronto Tempo's roster and staff."
Toronto's roster will take shape over the next 12 months.
An as-yet unscheduled expansion draft after the 2025 regular season will be the first opportunity for the Tempo and Portland's new franchise to select some players. Then the regular draft and free agency in early 2026 will help Wright Rogers complete Toronto's lineup.
"Before all that we are going to hire our head coach, so those are the big to do's on my list," said Wright Rogers, who played in the WNBA for seven seasons and was previously the assistant GM of the Phoenix Mercury. "I think it's all about the strategy and that's why it is important for me to understand the landscape here.
"That plays a role in the strategy of what players would be the right fit for this organization and what staff will be appropriate to not only lead us on the court, but lead us off the court as well."
Wright Rogers was one of the panellists at the espnW Summit Canada, a conference on the growth of women's sport in downtown Toronto, on Wednesday.
During her talk, she noted that the WNBA is a veteran-centric league, with rookies usually taking two or three years to fully develop and keep pace with their more experienced peers. As a result, she expects free agency to be the most important step in building the Tempo's roster.
Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has noted in the past that he tries to target Canadian and international players because playing outside the United States can sometimes be a tough sell for American NBA players.
Wright Rogers doesn't anticipate that being an issue for the Tempo.
"I'm looking for the best players, but I think Canada has some of the best players in the league," said Wright Rogers, noting that the WNBA's current group of international players is also very strong. "I think specifically WNBA players are not foreign to playing internationally because a lot of us have, when I was a player included, have played in the WNBA, and then we play internationally in the off-season.
"It won't be a big pain point for players to come across the border in that way or come across the water in that way. They're used to it."
Wright Rogers was named the GM of the Tempo on Feb. 20. She said she wasn't expecting such excitement around the announcement, but found it an encouraging sign for her future roster.
"I love that because, to me, that warm embrace and appetite and just the hospitality that I feel, I know our staff and players are going to feel when they get here as well," she said, standing in a courtyard at the Evergreen Brick Works. "That makes me really happy, because it's like people enter this team and they come on board and they just get a big Canadian hug."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
