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Basketball
Toronto Tempo's WNBA all-star Marina Mabrey has a message: She's nicer than you think
WNBA all-star Marina Mabrey thinks people would be shocked to learn that she’s actually a nice person off the court.
Published Jul 22, 2026 • 4 minute read
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Marina Mabrey celebrates after scoring 53 points
Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo celebrates after tying the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Coca-Cola Coliseum on June 25, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Tara Walton /Getty Images
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Marina Mabrey thinks people would be shocked to learn that she’s a nice person off the court.
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On the court, she has become known for her aggressive style of play, her relentless attack and her toughness.
She says she spends every game “trying to make it the worst night for the other team,” thinking about what she finds difficult to defend and applying it like a reverse Uno card to attack the other team.
It’s part of the reason she’s heading to Chicago the weekend of July 24 to participate in the WNBA All-Star Game.
She got the call the morning after a long trip, in the middle of having breakfast with her father. Immediately, she says, she was overcome with gratitude.
“It’s just the beginning,” she said. “I’m appreciative for the opportunity that I’ve gotten in Toronto and appreciative of my teammates trusting me and allowing me to be that person for us.”
Her teammates, Mabrey says, are the big reason she’s going to Chicago to represent the Tempo. She says that every bit of her success — of their success — can be attributed to a closeness off the court.
“Everybody has good relationships. Everyone has their own relationships with people on the team, but also we all get along together, too. We go to matcha dates and coffee dates,” she said. “Some people went to see Niagara Falls the other day. I did not make that one, but we just get along.
“Me and Izzy (Harrison) went shopping when we were in Montreal together. I found a lot of stuff I liked, unfortunately for my bank account.”
What does Mabrey have planned in Chicago?
With her free time in Chicago, though, she has more wallet-friendly activities planned, spent with another group of people whose company she values: Her family.
“I’d like to spend some time with them and celebrate it because they’ve seen me since Day 1, trying to chase my dreams,” Mabrey said. “So they’ll all be there and my mom and dad are really proud and excited. I’m just excited to spend time with my family and the people closest to me.”
Mabrey says her mother is also excited to see Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard, her favourite player and “part of our family now,” but the Tempo guard herself is most excited to see her former Notre Dame teammates like Jackie Young and Jessica Shepard, players who have carved out notable WNBA careers themselves.
Young was the first-overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, while Shepard made headlines with an impressive 11-assist game versus the New York Liberty earlier this month.
With the Tempo, Mabrey has had some impressive outings, made her fair share of headlines.
She scored 53 points to capture the WNBA’s single-game scoring record on June 25 against the Los Angeles Sparks, and put up an absolutely insane 113 points in a three-game span, collecting her second WNBA record in a month–this time for tallying the most points by any player over three games.
But in the end, Mabrey always circles back to gratitude, to making her parents proud by continuing to achieve her goals and continuing to show up for her teammates. And it’s that reminder, that desire to show up for the people who show up for her, that always keeps her grounded.
[Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo celebrates after tying the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Coca-Cola Coliseum on June 25, 2026 in Toronto.
Marina Mabrey’s 53 points in Tempo win ties WNBA record](https://torontosun.com/wnba/marina-mabreys-53-points-in-tempo-win-ties-wnba-record)
2. [Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo drives to the basket against Han Xu of the New York Liberty during their game in Montreal on Sunday.
WATCH: WNBA player ejected for throwing shoe at Toronto Tempo star Marina Mabrey](https://torontosun.com/wnba/watch-laney-hamilton-ejected-throwing-shoe-tempo-marina-mabrey)
“For me, it’s not getting too high, not getting too low, and staying focused on my goals. Because yeah, along the way, I wanted to be an All-Star, but I also wanted to be a WNBA champion and all of the other things that come with that,” the 29 year old said. “All of the accolades, all of the champions that you can get, like that’s something I want to be able to do.
“I’m happy and grateful that I reached one milestone, but also that keeps me going because it’s like ‘OK, I got that, but like, can we get a championship? What can we do as a team?’”
And the team she wants to win for, Mabrey says, was also shocked to learn that she’s a good person, a stark contrast from her player persona.
“I’m really the exact opposite off the court. Yeah, I can be a little feisty and spicy on the court, but I’m really so nice off the court,” she said with a laugh. “Ask my teammates about it. They were like: ‘No, oh my god, I can’t believe she’ll be on our team. Oh my God.’
“Now they like can’t stop loving me.”
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