For the first time in WNBA history, the Toronto Tempo were represented at the All-Star Game. Marina Mabrey participated in both nights of the festivities, taking her shot at the three-point contest on Friday before participating in the main event on Saturday night. It was Mabrey’s first All-Star nomination.
She was lethal to start the game, making five three-pointers and scoring 23 points in the first half.
“I got to see a few go down early,” Mabrey said after the game. “That’s kind of like my thing. Get them up when they’re going in.”
For the first time All-Star, it was all about having fun and soaking in this career milestone.
“All my teammates embraced me, and they were like, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot! Get rid of the ball and shoot.’ So that was really nice of them,” Mabrey said of her favourite memory from the game.
Team Coop, which included the Tempo’s leading scorer as well as Paige Bueckers and Breanna Stewart among others, lost 129-122 to Team Spoon. New York Liberty centre Jonquel Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds to win the MVP award, and Caitlin Clark scored 17 points, while Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray had 19 off the bench.
For Team Coop, Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever led with 28 points, and Seattle Storm star Dom Malonga rocked the building when she slammed the ball for a dunk in the first half.
“They’re all such amazing players,” Mabrey said of her Team Coop peers.
After the game, Mabrey also reflected on being the first franchise All-Star for the Tempo, thanking her teammates and coaches for helping her have the season she is having.
“Just grateful that the WNBA is expanding outside the United States, just bringing more eyes to women’s sports,” Mabrey said. “Grateful for the Toronto Tempo fans who show up every night and show that everyone wants to watch women’s sports.”
In Friday’s three-point shooting event, Mabrey was unable to make it to the final of the three-point contest, but Canadian Bridget Carleton showed out. She faced rookie Azzi Fudd in the final and lost, but was still able to take home a $40,000 USD prize. Fudd won $70,000 and became the first WNBA rookie to win the event.
Mabrey’s participation also meant a sizeable donation to the Black Women’s Institute for Health, a Toronto-based organization. For every three-pointer she made in the contest, Under Armour donated $500 in honour of Mabrey, resulting in a $6500 donation.
“A lot of this league is made up of black women, and I listen and I’m aware, and I think that they do not have the same access to healthcare that we have, and it’s not fair,” Mabrey said of her donation. I think that if I can do something to be an advocate for some of my closest friends and the people that I work with that built this league, that’s where I want to put my money.”
“I know that it’s not a huge donation because I was not making [the shots], but I hope that it’s a step in the right direction, and that people kind of have an awareness and pay attention, so that more people can focus on the health of Black women as it relates to their health.”
Another big moment from the weekend was Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the league’s incoming implementation of a replay centre. With the rise in disagreement with WNBA officials, the league is establishing the replay centre for the 2027 season.
“This is one of the most significant investments we’ve ever made in our basketball operations,” Engelbert said of the replay centre. “This investment of tens of millions of dollars will help bring greater consistency, efficiency, and transparency to our officiating process, while continuing to improve the quality of the game.”
Engelbert also gave an update on the league’s progress this season, saying they have already broken records in viewership and attendance. A record 29 games have had over one million viewers, already up from the 11 total in all of the 2025 season. In 117 broadcasts, the league has reached 73 million unique viewers so far this season, up from 63 million total last season.
As All-Star Weekend ends and the WNBA season resumes, many players commented on the quickness in which games start up again. For the Tempo, they will back in action Tuesday night in Minnesota to kick off the unofficial second half of the season.
