Marina Mabrey dribbles past Arike Ogunbowale of the Mist during an Unrivaled 2026 game at Sephora Arena in February in Medley, Fla. Mabrey and Brittney Sykes have signed on to join the Toronto Tempo.Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images
Guards Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes have agreed to terms to join the Toronto Tempo, the players’ agent told ESPN on Friday.
Canada’s new WNBA team agreed to two-year deals at about the max in Year 1, their agent Marcus Crenshaw of The FAM Sports Agency told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Per Philippou’s report, Mabrey and Sykes are the first-known million-dollar backcourt pairing under the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.
Mabrey was among the 11 players the Tempo picked in last Friday’s expansion draft and its sole unrestricted free-agent selection. The new club subsequently designated the 5-11 guard as its core player. The 29-year-old averaged 14.4 points. 4.2 rebounds and four assists last year for the Connecticut Sun.
The Los Angeles Sparks drafted her in 2019, and she’s also played in Chicago and Dallas.
Brittney Sykes at an Unrivaled game at Sephora Arena on in February in Medley, Fla.Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images
The Tempo’s Instagram account during this week touted the guard with the line “Winning mentality. Walking bucket. That’s Money Mabrey.”
Sykes would be the Tempo’s first major free-agent signing. The 32-year-old guard who stands 5-foot-9 spent the 2025 campaign with the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm. She averaged 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and four assists. She’s been in the WNBA since 2017, also including stops in LA and Atlanta. Sykes was an all star in 2025.
The Tempo will open its inaugural season on May 8 at Coca Cola Coliseum.