After a Grade 3 ankle sprain sidelined her for 16 games, Kiki Rice returned to a Toronto team fighting for playoff survival. In a major boost for the Toronto Tempo, rookie Kiki Rice returned to the lineup on July 28 against the Minnesota Lynx. She is, however, on a strict minutes restriction, but the Tempo’s 10-17 record means every player counts now.
The WNBA joined the Tempo in sharing this exciting development with a post on X.
“SHE’S SO BACK 🤩
Kiki Rice scores her first field goal in her return game, and of course it’s an and1!”
Rice’s injury happened late in the fourth quarter against Liberty on June 3. With under two minutes left on the clock, Rice landed awkwardly after her shot was blocked by Jonquel Jones. Rice was helped off the floor and left the arena on crutches. To rub salt in the wound, the Tempo lost the game 97-82 to the Liberty.
While the Toronto management initially announced that she suffered a grade 2 left ankle sprain, deeper examination revealed her injury to be more severe. Her injury was officially upgraded to a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, which ruled her out indefinitely.
While she is a rookie, Rice has been a key rotational player for this thinly stretched Toronto team, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game this season, while shooting 53.3% from the field. Losing her to prolonged injury just complicates coach Sandy Brondello’s squad choices, which are limited to begin with.
Toronto made some big money gambles before the start of the season, signing Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes each to a million-dollar-plus contract. However, this has left them lacking squad depth and viable backup roster options in case of major injuries.
Alongside Rice’s absence, Sykes has been sidelined since June 16. The 2025 All-Star suffered a plantar fascia tear in her left foot during a matchup against the Indiana Fever. Missing both Rice and Sykes has really hurt this team’s playoff chances, as they are currently on a four-game skid.
The silver lining of Toronto’s inaugural season has been the stellar performances that Marina Mabrey has shown. Even Mabrey’s performance couldn’t offset Kiki Rice’s absence and depth crisis. With 18 games remaining, the team will hope to rally around Mabrey to push for a playoff spot.
Marina Mabrey’s Historic Season Has Not Been Enough To Stop Toronto’s Slide
The chances of making the playoffs are getting slimmer for Toronto with each mounting loss. This is even though Marina Mabrey has been putting up phenomenal numbers across the board. In Toronto’s latest loss, Mabrey’s 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists couldn’t stop the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.
Mabrey is averaging 21.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season and is proving to be worth every penny of her expensive contract.
She put on a legendary shooting display against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 25, exploding for 53 points to tie the WNBA single-game scoring record. She shot 17-of-28 from the field, including a blistering 9-of-18 from beyond the arc.
Mabrey made her All-Star debut last week, dropping 23 points for Team Coop.
However, Mabrey’s scoring prowess has not been able to compensate for the injuries and an inability to close out fourth quarters for this Toronto team.
Injuries to key players like Sykes, Rice, and Nyara Sabally have taken out the core of this team, and without them, Tempo struggles to close out matches, even leading in the fourth quarter.
Now with Kiki Rice back in action, Tempo will hope to stop their skid as they take on the Lynx again at home in the reverse fixture.