Former WNBA pro Monica Wright Rogers feels uniquely qualified to lead expansion Tempo
Monica Wright Rogers, a former WNBA champion and player, is the general manager of the Toronto Tempo, Canada's first WNBA expansion team set to debut on May 8. She has been building the roster since February 2025, focusing on versatile players and leveraging her deep basketball experience. Despite league-wide delays due to labor negotiations, she remained active by scouting international leagues and promoting the team's vision to potential recruits.
- ▪Monica Wright Rogers is a two-time WNBA champion and former second-overall draft pick who played for the Minnesota Lynx and other teams.
- ▪She was hired as the first general manager of the Toronto Tempo, a new WNBA expansion franchise launching in May 2025.
- ▪Wright Rogers evaluated players internationally during the league's off-season pause and emphasized the historic opportunity of being 'firsts' in the Canadian market.
- ▪She was previously assistant GM for the Phoenix Mercury and was recruited by Tempo leadership including president Teresa Resch and owner Serena Williams.
- ▪The Tempo aims to compete immediately, modeling their approach after the successful 2025 expansion Golden State Valkyries, who made the playoffs in their debut season.
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Open this photo in gallery:General manager Monica Wright Rogers speaks at a preview event that teed up the Toronto Tempo's inaugural season.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and MailShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountMonica Wright Rogers savours the echoes of basketball practice these days, especially after all those months she waited eagerly to add the first players to the Toronto Tempo roster. A former WNBA player with two championships on her resume, she’s the general manager of Canada’s first expansion franchise, set to tip off its inaugural season on May 8. A lifetime in basketball has readied the 37-year-old first-time GM for this.
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