Toronto Tempo's Wild Inaugural Season: Marina Mabrey's Redemption, Kiki Rice Rookie Year with Savanna Hamilton

In this episode of the Hoopsology Podcast, we sit down with Savanna Hamilton — sports broadcaster and WNBA analyst covering the Toronto Tempo— to break down the Tempo's historic, and often chaotic, inaugural season in the WNBA. Savanna takes us inside the year from the ground up: the surreal experience of documenting an expansion franchise's first season, the relentless injury bug that hit stars like Marina Mabrey, Nyara Sabally, and Kiki Rice, and how head coach Sandy Brondello's run-and-gun system has reshaped the roster around versatile players like Laura Juskaite.

We dig into Marina Mabrey's incredible turnaround season — from her "crash out queen" reputation to an All-Star campaign capped by a 53-point outburst and MVP chants from the home crowd — and get an inside look at Kiki Rice's smooth rookie transition despite a shortened, CBA-delayed training camp. Savanna also reflects on the emotional home opener in front of Toronto's first-ever WNBA crowd, what the team means for a new generation of Canadian fans, and how WNBA media coverage in Canada compares to the explosion of interest south of the border.

Plus, she shares her take on the league-wide MVP race between Olivia Miles and A'ja Wilson, breaks down the playoff picture, and teases a big career announcement dropping this fall — including her role narrating the upcoming ESPN documentary on the Tempo's inaugural season. Follow Savanna Hamilton: Instagram & Twitter/X @SamHamilton11 Hoopsology Podcast, presented by Ballislife.

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