One of the most dominant performances in WNBA history may make it impossible to exclude Marina Mabrey from the MVP discussion.
Debate around the WNBA MVP chase? Blame Canada.
Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey entered one of the more prestigious and exclusive sisterhoods in WNBA history on Thursday night. In a 125-97 shellacking of the Los Angeles Sparks, Mabrey tied a single-game record with 53 points, tying the record previously set by Liz Cambage (2018) and A'ja Wilson (2023).
Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello, the overseer of two WNBA title runs and countless antics from Diana Taurasi and other legends of the game, ranked Mabrey's Thursday showcase as one of the most brilliant sights of her WNBA career.
Marina Mabrey told me she’s never heard MVP chants for herself in the league before.
— Savanna Hamilton (@SavHamilton11) June 26, 2026
“That was crazy.” - Mabrey https://t.co/bDgcYlD2tu pic.twitter.com/zOR11U9Ao5
"I’ve been doing this for quite some time. I’ve never seen that," Brondello said. "[Not even from] Diana Taurasi, and she could shoot it really well. To witness that was amazing.”
Mabrey built a bulk of her scoring with nine successful 3-pointers. Not only does that place her in further good company (she and Rhyne Howard are the only WNBA players to reach that tally twice) but she tied her own career-high that she set less than a week ago against her former employers in Connecticut.
With her immaculate showcase, Mabrey now holds the scoring records in both the WNBA and Unrivaled, the domestic three-on-three league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Mabrey is the sole owner of that mark, posting 47 for Lunar Owls BC in the organization's Philadelphia foray in late January.
On Guard For MVP?
The Wilson wagers in Las Vegas will no doubt vouch for an unprecedented third consecutive title. Minnesota Lynx lovers will go the extra mile for Olivia Miles amidst her fantastic freshman tour.
But Mabrey is making an undeniable case for the title to move beyond United States borders in its first opportunity to do so. Fans gathered at Coca-Cola Coliseum made their unofficial votes quite clear, serenading Mabrey with "MVP" chants that partly convinced Brondello to put Mabrey back into an assured result in an attempt to separate herself from Cambage and Wilson.
While the Golden State Valkyries raised the bar for what WNBA expansion teams could accomplish, it was (and frankly, still is) generally accepted that a balanced effort has led the way despite the emergence of certain stars. Toronto has enjoyed something similar but Mabrey has been forced to embrace the middle initial of "MVP" early on thanks to numerous injuries that have decimated the Canadian ranks.
Mabrey's partner in the veteran ranks, Brittney Sykes, is out indefinitely, as is rookie breakout Kiki Rice. Nyara Sabally has flourished in an expanded opportunity but has once again been unable to avoid the injury bug. Let's just say that the Tempo have had to make a line change reminiscent of their icy, leafed blue brothers.
MARINA MABREY TONIGHT 🔥🔥🔥
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) June 26, 2026
• 53 POINTS
• 6 REBOUNDS
• 9/18 3PM (!!!)
• 17/28 FG
• 32 MINUTES PLAYED (!!!) pic.twitter.com/GHVOjpvnX6
Mabrey is Thriving in Toronto
That's where the Mabrey breakout has come in: it doesn't take a lengthy look at the ledgers to see her impact, as she's averaging a career-best 21.2 points per game and has re-discovered her outside prowess after struggling in headlining duties with the Connecticut Sun last season. She's the only woman shooting at least six 3-pointers a game, while hitting at least 40% of such tries and her overall output (45.9%) is the best of her eight-year career.
“I think it just has, honestly, so many meanings for me, especially dating back to last season," Mabrey said when speaking of her journey north. "I think I had one of my worst seasons ... I didn’t sulk about it. I just went back to the drawing board, went back to working really hard at Unrivaled, [and got] a lot more intentional about what I was doing.”
"Doing it for an expansion team, obviously, people don't have super-high expectations for us. But we know what we're capable of in that locker room. I want to be able to instill confidence in my entire team. When I'm making shots like that, I think it's really inspiring to the rest of my teammates and vice versa."
The numbers go deeper when it comes to the bulk of Mabrey's metrics: she's second in clutch tallies per game (4.3) and she's one of the most heavily-relied upon women in the W, placing third in usage, next to only league immortality in Wilson and Caitlin Clark.
That's not to say that Mabrey hasn't had help along the way: María Conde has been one of the RINO (Rookie In Name Only) emergences while Julie Allemand provided literal assistance with a 14-helper, 13-point double-double (the first to earn such a double-figure tally on a perfect shooting night) in the lashing of Los Angeles. Mabrey was the first to chisel her value, crediting her output to a 26-assist night from Ontario's finest.
But Mabrey's efforts in keeping the Tempo (9-9) on beat have been second-to-none on these ledgers and have allowed them to keep pace on the latter portions of the playoff bracket: as the halfway landmark approaches, Toronto holds the eighth and final playoff spot and sits only 2.5 games behind fourth-place New York for homecourt advantage in a playoff series.
Mabrey's next chance to add to her MVP case lands in a weekend back-to-back that begins on Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury (2 p.m. ET, TSN/CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
