Brittney Sykes caught an early vibe of how the city of Toronto was preparing for the WNBA.
Basketball fans, she thought, may have been reserved for the NBA's Raptors, but they knew exactly who the 11-year veteran and the Tempo were before the season even started.
"Literally walking down the street, they're yelling out your name," the 32-year-old said during the team's media day availability.
Six weeks later, rest assured, there is no doubt basketball fans know about the person affectionately known as "Slim."
After dropping 25 points in Sunday's 85-68 home win over the Chicago Sky, Sykes is averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game.
Her scoring average ranks fifth in the league, while she's also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Sykes also ranks 12th among all guards with her rebounding clip.
The defensive specialist has finished in double-digit scoring in 10 of her 11 games, while she's scored 20 or more points in five games.
Most importantly, she's helped the Tempo to a 6-5 mark, seemingly building off the success the league saw from Golden State last season.
IT'S SLIM pic.twitter.com/XENaSbQcDJ
— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) June 7, 2026
Dynamic Tempo
Toronto coach Sandy Brondello has noted several times this season her excitement for having Sykes in Toronto and being able to pair her with another veteran like Marina Mabrey.
The chemistry between the two has taken its own twists and turns since their youth, with the younger Mabrey having known Sykes since her freshman year of high school.
From rivals to now teammates, the two bring one of the most formidable backcourts into every game.
"We're probably two of the most don't want to see players," said Sykes, whose 3,646 career points rank 21st since 2017, when she arrived in the WNBA. "And we are both on the same court at the same time. So, fun for whoever has to figure that out.
"We know teams have to come and guard us, and we know teams that don't want to come and guard us."
But it's not just the duo that has Sykes excited about the potential of the first-year club, crediting Brondello and general manager Monica Wright for bringing together a diverse group with the same mindset.
"We have a really good group of girls," Sykes told TSN during a recent sit-down interview. "They play hard, they play smart, but also they have an IQ to go out and read the defense and come back with some answers."
Dawgs, Not Underdogs
While Sykes knows embracing an underdog role could motivate the Tempo, she doesn't view Toronto as an underdog.
And why would she, when the Tempo have beaten the veteran-laden Sparks in Los Angeles, knocked off the 2025 runner-up Mercury in Phoenix, and competed with the likes of the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty.
Were they thumped by the latter two? Yes.
But veterans like Sykes and Mabrey know those are mere learning lessons that will make the team better down the road.
"They're great leaders in the locker room (and) also great leaders on the court," Brondello said.
The Tempo have an excellent shot at improving to 8-5 before hosting the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, as they welcome the Connecticut Sun (2-11) to Toronto on Wednesday and visit the Washington Mystics (4-6) on Friday.
It'll be the first time the Sun face the upstart Tempo, who should be looking at the game as a perfect tune-up before aiming to exact revenge on the Mystics for a season-opening 68-65 loss in Toronto.
Considering Sykes' hot hand and a supporting cast melding together nicely under the careful eye of Brondello, Toronto's tempo can't be counted out.
W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
