Tempo's Kiki Rice named to WNBA all-rookie squad despite missing nearly 2 months of season

Toronto Tempo guard Kiki Rice has been named to this season's WNBA all-rookie team, the league announced Wednesday.

Rice appeared in 28 games with 20 starts during her debut campaign, averaging 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.8 steals in 27.1 minutes per game.

She ranked fourth among rookies in scoring while shooting 47.2 per cent from the field, 35.1 per cent from three-point range and 86.9 per cent from the free-throw line.

Rice missed nearly two months after sustaining a Grade 3 left ankle sprain in a June 3 game but returned July 28 and scored in double figures in 12 of her final 13 games.

She finished the season with a career-high 28 points against the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 24, becoming one of nine rookies in WNBA history to score at least 28 points without a turnover.

Rice, named to The Associated Press' all-rookie team last month, was selected sixth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, the first draft pick in Tempo history.

Tempo embraced their fans as co-authors of the team's story

"We are incredibly proud of Kiki and everything she accomplished in her first WNBA season," Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers said in a news release.

"When we selected Kiki as the first draft pick in franchise history, we believed she had the talent, poise and work ethic to become an important part of what we are building in Toronto. She continued to grow throughout the season, responded to every challenge, and showed us the impact she can have on both ends of the floor."

Kiki Rice scores career-high 24 points but Tempo fall to Storm