It was a historic day for basketball in the country as the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) hosted its first-ever Canada game in Toronto on Saturday.
The sold out preseason game took place at the Scotiabank Arena featuring the Minnesota Lynx and the Chicago Sky.
The game marked the third WNBA preseason game to be played outside of the U.S. The Detroit Shock and San Antonio Silver Stars played in Monterrey, Mexico in 2004, followed by a match between the Atlanta Dream and the Standard Life Great Britain Women’s basketball team in Manchester, England in 2011.
Throughout the weekend, WNBA Canada presented activities for basketball lovers, including a customization studio for Nike and WNBA apparel, meet and greets with players and a 12-foot WNBA logo sculpture for fans to sign.
And in celebration of the big game, the City of Toronto declared May 13 as “Welcome WNBA Day” and Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie presented the proclamation to the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Ahead of the game, Minnesota Lynx’s Bridget Carleton broke the seal as the first Canadian WNBA player on the court and shared a few words before opening the game on home soil.
“What’s up Canada? We are so excited to be here. I know from the Lynx standpoint, this is a really really awesome day for us. I’m sure the Sky feel the same way. The WNBA is awesome for putting this on and I know you Canadians are excited to watch us play tonight,” Carleton said to the crowd.
I think it’s time we show them that Canada is not just a hockey country, that we are passionate about basketball too,” she continued.
Carleton’s sentiment speaks to recent commentary from fans and experts about the consideration of an official Canadian WNBA team. Tickets for yesterday’s game sold out in a few hours, according to the league.
One tweet in support of the WNBA expansion reads, “I would definitely love to see a wnba team in Toronto & Vancouver. Plus Vancouver needs another chance for a NBA team!”
NBA Canada shared some footage of the game, tweeting “Whole lot of W action in the first half!”
Veteran Canadian R&B singer Jully Black also performed at the halftime show.
After a close game during the first half, the Chicago Sky was able to gain a lead in the third and fourth quarters winning 82-74.
Overall, the game was a huge success with the WNBA tweeting, “All love from both squads… The 6ix owes us NOTHING.”
