Deliciously Petty Toronto Takeover: Serena Williams Joins Ownership Group For WNBA’s New Team Toronto Tempo

When it comes to being petty, Serena Williams is giving Kendrick Lamar a run for his money.

2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones - Arrivals

Source: Dia Dipasupil / Getty

 

Just one month after the sports legend Crip Walked all over Drake’s grave during Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance, she’s sending another particularly petty message to the Canadian rapper.  As the WNBA makes its way into new territory, the twenty-three-time Grand Slam winner is joining the ownership group for their latest expansion team, the Toronto Tempo.

“New court, new game,” the team began in their announcement on social media. “We’re thrilled to announce that @SerenaWilliams – legendary tennis pro – has joined the team as the newest owner of the Toronto Tempo.”

( function() {
var func = function() {
var iframe = document.getElementById(‘wpcom-iframe-6fcf89d76a796d8b7e7dd68a466982de’)
if ( iframe ) {
iframe.onload = function() {
iframe.contentWindow.postMessage( {
‘msg_type’: ‘poll_size’,
‘frame_id’: ‘wpcom-iframe-6fcf89d76a796d8b7e7dd68a466982de’
}, “https://embeds.go.ione.nyc” );
}
}

// Autosize iframe
var funcSizeResponse = function( e ) {

var origin = document.createElement( ‘a’ );
origin.href = e.origin;

// Verify message origin
if ( ’embeds.go.ione.nyc’ !== origin.host )
return;

// Verify message is in a format we expect
if ( ‘object’ !== typeof e.data || undefined === e.data.msg_type )
return;

switch ( e.data.msg_type ) {
case ‘poll_size:response’:
var iframe = document.getElementById( e.data._request.frame_id );

if ( iframe && ” === iframe.width )
iframe.width = ‘100%’;
if ( iframe && ” === iframe.height )
iframe.height = parseInt( e.data.height );

return;
default:
return;
}
}

if ( ‘function’ === typeof window.addEventListener ) {
window.addEventListener( ‘message’, funcSizeResponse, false );
} else if ( ‘function’ === typeof window.attachEvent ) {
window.attachEvent( ‘onmessage’, funcSizeResponse );
}
}
if (document.readyState === ‘complete’) { func.apply(); /* compat for infinite scroll */ }
else if ( document.addEventListener ) { document.addEventListener( ‘DOMContentLoaded’, func, false ); }
else if ( document.attachEvent ) { document.attachEvent( ‘onreadystatechange’, func ); }
} )();

According to reports from ESPN, the team is primarily owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures, chaired by Larry Tanenbaum, and is led by team president Teresa Resch. When they tip off their first season in 2026, the Tempo will become the 15th team to join the WNBA. Their expansion draft will be held after the 2025 season.

While fans are happily cracking jokes at the irony of Williams collaborating with a team in Toronto–the birthplace of her ex, Drake–of all places, this move is obviously bigger than any potential pettiness. Being widely accepted as the greatest female athlete of all time, Serena is doing her part to get involved in an opportunity to grow women’s sports even more.

“This moment is not just about basketball; it is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity,” Williams said in a statement, according to ESPN. “I am excited to partner with Larry [Tanenbaum] and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy.”

Toronto added that the star athlete will play a role in designing jerseys and creating merchandise collaborations with the team.

“Serena Williams is an icon, a role model and a force for change in the world” Tanenbaum said. “She’s earned every bit of her incredible success with hard work, tenacity and determination in the face of countless challenges. She exemplifies the very best of what the Tempo stand for — we couldn’t be more honored to have Serena in our court.”

The post Deliciously Petty Toronto Takeover: Serena Williams Joins Ownership Group For WNBA’s New Team Toronto Tempo appeared first on Bossip.

Share This Post
Have your say!
00

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>