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By Megan Armstrong
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Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey balled out at 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend, becoming the franchise's first-ever All-Star, but she's probably growing weary of shouldering a heavier load.
The Tempo have been without rookie guard Kiki Rice and All-Star guard Brittney Sykes since June. Rice, the sixth overall pick in April, suffered an ankle sprain on June 3, and Sykes suffered a plantar fascia injury on June 16.
Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello provided updates on Rice and Sykes on Sunday, July 26.
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According to Sportsnet's Ian Finlayson, Brondello said Rice "looked good" in her first full practice since spraining her ankle.
"Hopefully, she feels good tomorrow, so it's more how she responds post a practice like this," Brondello said. "But she's worked really hard, so excited. If we can get her back, that'd be awesome."
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Unfortunately, the news on Sykes was not nearly as positive.
“Slim is, you know, she’s doing a little bit of work, but I don't know exactly when she's back," Brondello said. "But I don't think it's in the next [...] it's not a few weeks."
The Tempo sit at 10-16 through the All-Star break in their inaugural WNBA season, but it's very plausible that they would have a more favorable record if Rice and Sykes stayed healthy. Sykes was averaging 20.1 points — second only to Mabrey's 21.0 points per game among all Tempo scorers — 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals. Rice was averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
The Tempo will finish July with a back-to-back against the Minnesota Lynx — hosting them in Toronto on Tuesday, July 28, before traveling to Minnesota for a game on Thursday, July 30.
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