A week ago today, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) awarded Toronto the first North American expansion franchise outside of the United States. The team is set to play its first season in 2026, becoming the 14th franchise in the league. VIPs across the board came out to attend the unveiling, from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to official Toronto Raptors ambassador Drake and former Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.
As the team begins to establish itself, everything from colour hues and logos to mascots and team names is up for debate. To solve the latter, Torontonians have been airing their thoughts and feelings on suitable names for the franchise. Here are some of the best name suggestions for when our Toronto WNBA team takes to the courts in 2026.
Toronto Aurora
Referring to the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, Toronto Aurora would name the team after a natural light display that occurs rarely. The term aurora is specific to the northern part of the world, connecting to the Raptor’s “We The North” motto which they adopted during their infamous playoff run in 2019. The abundance of colours gives Nike a flurry of options when it comes to creative jersey designs and fan merch.
Toronto Towers
Another suggestion was the towers, an ode to the CN Tower. Also a play on the height of basketball athletes, Towers is an intimidating name that also offers a plethora of design solutions and mascot options. The Toronto Blue Jays have recently released their CN Tower-inspired City Connects uniform design, which shows the depth of what could be achieved when inspired by one of the world’s seven wonders.
Toronto Terror
Finally, Terror is an aggressive potential name for the Toronto WNBA franchise to adopt. Mascot options are endless, and the overarching theme of power for a hopefully successful team is fitting.
Toronto Geese
Arguably one of the scariest animals to roam the streets of Toronto, Canadian Geese serve as a frightening mascot for teams to come up against, especially when on the road. With plenty of mascot costume potential, it gives fans an opportunity to parlay their fears into cheers as they support our WNBA team.
Toronto Raccoons
Raccoons are possibly a less fitting name, although they carry a similar cultural appeal to geese. The animal pops up on the news cycle on a weekly basis, and seems to torment locals the same way we hope our WNBA team will torment offenses during games.
Toronto Huskies
The Huskies is a nod to the Toronto Raptors’ original team name back when they were playing in the Basketball Association of America in 1946. Although fans have pointed out that Huskies could seem to copy the UConn basketball program, others were quick to point out that Toronto came first. Plus, keeping a blue-and-white colour scheme wouldn’t hurt if MLSE is trying to keep cohesion amongst their franchises.
Toronto Talons/Triceratops/Falcons/Sauras Rexes
Fans were quick to jump onto the notion that our WNBA team should complement the Toronto Raptors. Names like the Triceratops and Sauras Rexes were thrown out on chat forums, with the latter being a play on the full name, Torontosaurus Rex.
The aerial falcon was suggested as well, as a fast-moving bird with an inclination for carnage. An integral part of the falcon, its talons, was proposed as well. Both would serve well as logos and mascot costumes, portraying a devastating force both on and off the court.