Kiki Rice Is the Tempo’s Biggest Win in Expansion Team’s First Season

The first WNBA season for Canada’s team won’t result in the playoffs, but the Tempo have built for the future.

Toronto’s strategies in the expansion draft, entry draft and free agency coupled with the hiring of champion coach Sandy Brondello brought plenty of excitement across the border ahead of the season. That continued through the first chunk of the season with a 7–5 start, but the injury bug has hit the Tempo.

Rookie guard Kiki Rice had a great start to the season, even hovering around the way-too-early Rookie of the Year conversations before Olivia Miles ascended to another planet. Rice went down with an ankle sprain in early June whilst on a streak of hitting double digits in scoring in eight straight games. She missed the next two months as Toronto subsequently dealt with more injuries—most notably to star guard Brittney Sykes.

Since the 7–5 start, the Tempo have won just four of their last 26 games. After a brief return, Sykes is out for the season and her running mate Marina Mabrey will be re-evaluated in a few weeks with an adductor injury. Trade-deadline acquisition Aneesah Morrow is also out for the remainder of the year and Nyara Sabally is currently sidelined with a calf issue.

Amid the injury-ridden free fall, Rice made her return to the court in late July and has been a bright spot for the first-year squad. After a brief adjustment period, she’s more or less got back to her normal self.

Tempo found franchise guard in Kiki Rice

After UCLA won the program’s first NCAA title, Rice rounded out a run of Bruins picked early in the WNBA draft. The Mystics took Lauren Betts fourth, Gabriela Jaquez followed when she landed with the Sky at fifth and Rice completed the trio as she fell into Toronto’s lap with the sixth pick.

As one of the two new expansion teams this season alongside Portland, Toronto’s first-round pick fell just outside of the lottery range. Toward the end of the season, though, the Tempo look like they got a lottery pick by proxy with Rice.

Despite missing considerable time, she’s been one of the league’s most impactful rookies, averaging 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 37% from three-point range on lower volume. She’s played even better of late, too, with 14.0 points and 3.7 assists per game over the month of August as Toronto has dealt with the rash of injuries.

The rookie guard dropped a career-high 24 points and added five assists in a loss Wednesday to the Storm. Although the wins haven’t come (how could they with that many absences), the Tempo should be excited about what the team could look like as soon as next season. Sykes and Mabrey remain under contract, while Rice enters just the second year of her rookie deal. Morrow had a solid stretch when she arrived in Toronto via Connecticut at the deadline and she still has two more seasons on her contract.

With pick No. 6, it’s no guarantee to find an everyday WNBA player let alone one that looks like the guard of the future. Rice’s craftiness as a driver has led to nifty finishes near the rim and a solid amount of free throws, and she’s next to automatic at the foul line. She has great vision and makes plays in transition and half-court offense. Plus, she’s a solid rebounder for her position.

Kiki Rice tonight:

• 24 points
• 5 assists
• 3 rebounds
• 6/12 FG pic.twitter.com/OO2m83wyuR
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) August 27, 2026

That all-around ability collapses defenses and subsequently makes life a lot easier for Toronto’s stars in Sykes and Mabrey when healthy. There are certainly more looks available for Rice with the team’s slew of injuries. Even if that changes when the team comes into next season with a clean bill of health, low-pressure reps are critical for a player’s development and the Tempo’s poor injury luck has led to some growth for Rice as a scorer. With a full offseason ahead—and one where she doesn’t have to play in the NCAA tournament—her scoring power could only get better.

Even when you consider the two-month absence, Rice has been one of the WNBA’s best rookies this year. Miles, Sydney Taylor, Azzi Fudd and Flau’jae Johnson should be locks to receive All-Rookie honors and Rice’s play has put her in that same tier to round out the group despite all the missed time.

In-season honors aside, the UCLA product has proven she’s a more-than-capable lead guard in the WNBA. And that’s in the current day, who knows how far she could rise as her career continues. If one thing’s for certain, though, it looks like the Tempo already have their franchise point guard.

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