In 2026, Toronto is set to join the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). A new team, based in Canada’s most populous city, will be the 14th in the league and the first outside of the US. It marks a huge moment for the sport in Canada, as the NBA looks to build on the foundations set by the Toronto Raptors and continue growing basketball throughout Canadian culture.
Leah McNab is the managing director of NBA Canada, and has been leading the sport’s growth in the great white north since 2019. And as of this month, she’s also the organisation’s head of international strategy and operations. The NBA’s plans to grow basketball within Canada have so far included a number of smart and creative activations in collaboration with The Local Collective, not least including an awesome 12-feet-tall statue physically signed by countless Torontonians outside the venue of the WNBA’s first game in Canada last year.
But growing women’s basketball – and basketball more broadly – in Canada is an ambitious and complex task. From facilitating elite games between elite teams to making the sport more accessible at the most grassroots of levels, no stone has been left unturned.
To reflect on it all, Leah sat down in conversation with Kaitlin Doherty, founder and president of The Local Collective…
Kaitlin> Building basketball in hockey country might have looked like an uphill battle – but did anything surprise you in those early days with fans and how Canadians celebrated the league?
Leah> I actually started back at the NBA in 2005, around the pinnacle of Canadian Steve Nash’s career (he won back-to-back NBA MVP awards in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons). The attention around his awards felt big at the time, but looking back, paled in comparison to the 2019 Toronto Raptors’ championship run – simply because basketball has blossomed since then. The 2019 postseason provided an amazing ‘in’ for national brands and exposure, as the country was hooked. We teamed up with Google for a national program, titled ‘NBA Finals Ball Drop’, where we distributed 250 free basketballs at major landmarks in cities across Canada, and incorporated their hardware (Nest) into the contest mechanic, giving fans from coast-to-coast the chance to win a fly-away trip to the 2019 NBA Finals.
Cities across the country took inspiration from the ‘Jurassic Park’ outside of Scotiabank Arena and we saw dozens of them pop up organically, providing fans with safe spaces to watch the game within their communities. Basketball at its core is inclusive, and these gatherings were proof of how sport can unite communities – the NBA is more than basketball, more than a game, and brands understand our league’s ability to forge authentic connections beyond just the game.
Kaitlin> Basketball is so accessible – how critical is that grassroots community and kid aspect of the game for growth?
Leah> Basketball is a low-cost sport and has low barriers to entry; it’s a child’s game, at the end of the day. We are introduced to basketball at grade school and many carry on playing into adulthood through rec leagues. We also understand the obvious health benefits to maintaining an active lifestyle and socialising.
But no matter how hard you play, there’s a finite amount of players who can make an NBA or WNBA roster. It’s so important to ensure that those who don’t make it to a professional league, but who love the game, can find access to courts. Community centres cater to many activities and while they have basketball courts, they’re frequently used for a multitude of activities – whereas a baseball diamond is primarily used for that sport. I’d love to see the courts and gyms inside grade schools, which are generally closed on evenings and weekends, open up for members of those communities to make use of them as well.
Kaitlin> You have been really focused on making sure you bring the league to markets across Canada. Why was this such an important part of your growth strategy?
Leah> We aim to be the brand for Canada, not just Toronto. It’s our mandate to activate across the country, and we’re proud to have led events from St. John’s to Haida Gwaii and many in between. Of 120 international players on the NBA’s 2023-24 opening night rosters, 26 are Canadian – we can’t underestimate the profound impact that a ‘hometown hero’ can have on sparking the inspiration for our next Steve Nash, or Kia Nurse. It’s important that we showcase Canada’s national talent on a national scale, and our investments in data collection and personalization have enabled us to reach fans on a deeper level. Brands are looking for more addressable markets, and while the biggest activations bring the biggest returns, we know our fans truly reach all corners of the country.
Kaitlin> You and your team brought the first Women’s game to Canada, and now (yay!) we get a team here in Toronto. I love the story you tell about why your inspiration for bringing the game here was your boys. Most people will often talk about how important it is to bring just their daughters; can you talk about your perspective on making sure people bring their sons as well?
Leah> The WNBA community is a wonderful space for girls and women, and surprisingly to a lot of brands we speak with, the majority of our WNBA audience in Canada is actually male. Even though I’m a woman working in sports for more than 20 years, the idea of bringing a WNBA game to Canada didn’t dawn on me until my son told me he didn’t believe there was a women’s league – because he’d simply never seen it.
The simplicity of that view changed my perspective, and we put the wheels in motion for Toronto to host the first-ever WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine in 2023. I believe the momentum the industry is currently experiencing will continue for the next 20 years and beyond. It was thrilling to think about providing role models for boys, but also to challenge every assumption and thought in the world of sports – especially that women’s sports isn’t profitable (and that no one watches it!). We tasked ourselves with challenging this notion and altering the way women’s sports are perceived. I’m immensely proud of the games (including our second, sold-out WNBA Canada Game in Edmonton, AB this year) and the fact that we were not only profitable but sold out both buildings. I took my son sneaker shopping for new basketball shoes, and was thrilled when he reached out for the Sabrina 1’s (Sabrina Ionescu’s signature Nike shoe). It was a special, full-circle moment for me.
Kaitlin> We are seeing a lot of brands exploring the leagues to engage fans in this space. What would your advice be to them as they are maybe digging into basketball fandoms for the first time?
Leah> For a new brand in this space, it’s important to find the authentic connection between basketball and their core values. Don’t be tentative – brands will dip their toe in sponsorship waters, and it’s hard to break through with a tiny ripple. Subway is a great example of how a brand can break through authentically, seeking NBA players as ambassadors and beyond. They looked at a potential NBA partnership through every facet of their business, and with consideration for their 3,000+ locations across Canada. Those extensions are often overlooked by marketers; they look at the property in front of them, but not the opportunities in their own backyard. Don’t just engage the existing audience, but aim to create a net-new audience where both worlds can coexist.
Kaitlin> ‘Authenticity’ is a word that gets used a lot. Do you think any brand can truly find authentic moments within sport? Subway isn’t inherently a sporty brand, for example.
Leah> Honestly, any brand can do it. Take RE/MAX for example; traditionally it has been an area with not a lot of obvious sponsorship opportunities. RE/MAX engaged Kyle Lowry for fun TV spots highlighting Kyle’s personality (beloved by Canadian NBA fans) and drawing parallels between the emotions that can run high in both sport and real estate.
They were able to differentiate themselves from their competition, and stood out with a big assist from a non-traditional endorser for the category.
We have partners who also leverage our marks and exclusive access internally, for employee rewards, hospitality, and more. It can work for any category, and agencies can be a big help; the NBA Canada team is big on testing and learning, and we love when partners want to try something new.
Kaitlin> Finally, It’s a pretty exciting moment for Canada to now have two professional basketball teams, and hopefully we’ll have even more. What do you think that’s going to mean for strengthening the league in this market?
Leah> I’m extremely excited for the WNBA Toronto home opener, still years away. It will be a wonderful moment, truly exemplifying the growth of the game. This summer was a big moment for the sport in Canada as we had three teams compete in basketball at the Paris Olympics, and the pipeline of talent is strong.
With the rise in talent we also see more opportunities grow around basketball – more officials, more trainers, more front office staff from Canada. It’s a boost to the entire ecosystem. Across both NBA and WNBA brands we’re seeing upward momentum with youth and new Canadians, and we’ll continue striving to be as inclusive as possible. When it comes to basketball, everyone is welcome.