The Minnesota Lynx will face off against the Chicago Sky in Toronto on May 13, 2023.
This marks the third preseason game played outside of the United States, and the first-ever played in Canada.
Holding a game outside of the United States could mean big things for the expansion of the women’s league.
The WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, said in a press release that playing in Canada is “an important milestone for the global growth of the league.”
Many women’s basketball coaches and clubs across the GTA think that this could mark the beginning of a new era of Canadian basketball.
May Kotsopoulos, a former professional player in Canada and the United States, said in an emailed statement that Canada is slowly becoming a powerhouse for women’s basketball.
Three Canadians currently play in the WNBA, and Canada’s national women’s team is ranked fifth in the world, she said.
“It’s important for every parent to use this opportunity to bring their children, girl or boy, to come out and watch this historic event,” she said. “Not only as inspiration for them, but to showcase to the WNBA why they should expand a team to Canada.”
Kotsopoulos now wears the hat of assistant coach for the Etobicoke Thunder girls’ Under-15 basketball team.
The lead coach is Patrick Duggan, who has been coaching for a number of years. His daughter, like many others, wanted to start playing basketball, but was presented with very few options for teams or clubs to join.
“I have a son who plays in the GTA for hockey,” he said. “There’s multiple teams all over, so many opportunities for the boys, and it’s interesting because for the girls that’s just not matched.”
Omar Miles, head coach of Humber’s men’s basketball team, said his daughters faced the same issue.
Miles has coached several basketball players who went on to play in the NBA, and said he hoped to see a similar success story for women in the sport.
“The impact [the WNBA game in Toronto could have] I think is in participation rate at smaller clubs, so more girls are wanting to get into the game,” he said. “I struggled as a parent trying to find a club where my daughters could play with just girls.”
Clubs like Oakville Vytis are working hard to change the narrative in the largely male-dominated sport.
Alana Juzenas, a coach for Vytis, said her dad started the club 25 years ago when he noticed a lack of opportunities for girls in basketball.
Duggan, Miles and Kotsopoulos all said that representation of the WNBA in Toronto could hint at the establishment of a new women’s team here.
“I think the saying goes, you build it, they will come,” Miles said. “If anything, we’ve shown an example of that in ‘95 when the dinosaur came to Toronto.”
“You build a team here in Toronto, fans will come out,” Miles said.
The WNBA preseason game will be held at Scotiabank Arena.