Here are the Canadian athletes playing in the WNBA season and where you can find their games.
With the second WNBA Canada Game in the books — a sold out match in Edmonton where the LA Sparks won over the Seattle Storm — the appetite for hoops in Canada is apparent. While we wait for a team of our own here in Canada, many fans opt to support teams that have Canadian talent showcased.
Obviously the WNBA is growing at a fast pace, and the same can be said about basketball culture in Canada. It’s always been there in a way — but with the increased access to things like watching games on TV and these WNBA Canada Games, it’s easier than ever to be involved.
So, who are the Canadians in the WNBA? Let’s take a look at where each will be playing as we kick off the 2024 WNBA season.
Kia Nurse – LA Sparks
Going into her sixth WNBA season, Nurse will be an important veteran presence for a young Sparks roster.
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Seasoned WNBA players know you always have to roll with the punches, and be ready for whatever this career will throw at you. Going into her sixth season as a pro, Kia Nurse knows this as well as anyone.
She started her career with the New York Liberty, where she was drafted out of the University of Connecticut. She was traded to the Phoenix Mercury prior to the 2021 WNBA season, but she tore her ACL in the 2021 playoffs, and spent her second season with the franchise in recovery.
Set to return to the court after recovery, Nurse was a free agent, and signed a two-year contract with the Seattle Storm. She played the entirety of the 2023 season with the Storm, as her veteran presence helped that young team develop its young players. In the offseason prior to the 2024 season, she was traded to the LA Sparks.
Now with the Sparks, Kia’s role is similar to what she was doing with the Storm. LA had two lottery picks in this years’ WNBA draft, and went with Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. The team has gone through a massive overhaul in the past few seasons. Veterans like Nurse, Dearica Hamby, Lexie Brown, Layshia Clarendon and more will be the ones to lead these young stars as they develop in the WNBA.
Nurse also has a connection with her new head coach, Curt Miller — who coached Kia’s sister Tamika in college as well as her aunt. Now, Miller finally gets to coach Kia after trying to recruit her in college. He jokes about how Kia chose Geno Auriemma over him.
Canadian fans, and those on the West Coast in particular, will now get to enjoy Nurse on a young and exciting LA Sparks team.
Bridget Carleton – Minnesota Lynx
Carleton is now heading into veteran territory on a Lynx team that seems to be putting the pieces together.
Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
Bridget Carleton is another mainstay Canadian National Team member, and she has cemented herself a place on the Minnesota Lynx. A few years ago, the Lynx were scrambling to figure out their roster after the retirement of legend Sylvia Fowles. With a couple of lottery picks, the blossoming of Napheesa Collier, and some rebuilding under their belts, it seems the Lynx are heading in a good direction.
They have some exciting young talent on the roster including Diamond Miller, Dorka Juhasz, and Alyssa Pili. The Lynx have kept on some great veterans as well, including Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and now Carleton.
Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve always has high praise for Carleton, saying last season she “trusts her immensely.” Carleton brings a pop of energy off the bench for the Lynx, a solid defensive presence, and has the ability to get hot offensively.
For Canadian Fans, Minnesota is probably the closest place we have to go see a Canadian WNBA player in person — unless you go watch them as the away team.
Laeticia Amihere — Atlanta Dream
Heading into her second WNBA season, Amihere will hopefully find a more solid role in Atlanta.
Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
Laeticia Amihere was drafted eighth overall to the Atlanta Dream in the 2023 WNBA draft, out of the University of South Carolina. A National Champion at the college level, Amihere is a solid front court player with speed and agility.
As she gains strength and confidence, her potential is so clear when she plays heavy minutes for the Canadian National Team.
During her rookie season with the Dream, Amihere ended up on the edge of the rotation. With a few moves in Atlanta’s roster heading into the 2024 season, fans are surely hoping Amihere gets more minutes.
Players who come out of Dawn Staley’s South Carolina program are immediately ready for the pro-level. They are poised under pressure, open to the challenges of the WNBA, and can play hard. Mix this with the grit needed to play at the international level, and Amihere is a great WNBA prospect.
Aaliyah Edwards — Washington Mystics
Canada’s highest draft pick in decades, Edwards has landed in a great place to help develop her into a WNBA player.
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Aaliyah Edwards was drafted sixth overall in the WNBA draft, and had the talent to go higher. In the WNBA, it’s more about fit than how high you’re drafted though, and Edwards has ended up in a great situation for her development.
The Washington Mystics are in a transitional phase — they will be without Elena Delle Donne and Natasha Cloud for the first time in many seasons. After winning the 2019 WNBA Championship, the Mystics have struggled to put it all together and find success in recent seasons.
The new generation of Mystics fills this franchise with hope. Shakira Austin, who they drafted third overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft, is an incredible prospect. Unfortunately, she sat out most of the 2023 season with a hip injury, but seems to be better after surgery. Even in the limited time we have had to watch Austin’s development, she is going to be a force in the front court.
Adding Edwards into that mix should prove successful as well — as Edwards proved in her years at UConn that she is just getting better. As a forward, Aaliyah’s footwork in the post helps her offensively, and her strength makes her hard to get past defensively.
She will obviously need a bit of time in the WNBA to develop her skills, get stronger, and adjust to the pace of pro basketball as opposed to college play. She shouldn’t have too hard of a time though.
If Aaliyah Edwards symbolizes anything, it’s that the crop of talent coming out of Canada is set to take the WNBA by Storm over the next decade.
The WNBA regular season tips off on Tuesday May 14th, and you can watch the action on WNBA League Pass, TSN, Sportsnet, Disney+, Prime, and other services. Check out the WNBA’s schedule for specific broadcast schedules.