WNBA team suspends player’s contract

The Toronto Tempo are already out of contention for a spot in the WNBA playoffs, and one of their players will be out for the next three games after temporarily suspending her contract.

According to Tempo beat reporter Chelsea Leite of TSN Sports, the Tempo made the move on starter Julie Allemand, as she’s joining Belgium for the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup.

“For players going to the FIBA World Cup, WNBA teams will temporarily suspend their contracts for the time they are away. Today, the Tempo have suspended Julie Allemand’s contract meaning she has left to go join her Belgian team,” Leite shared on X.

The 30-year-old Allemand has been one of the most important players in Tempo’s inaugural WNBA season. She is averaging only 6.3 points in 29 games with the Tempo but is leading the team in assists (5.6) and steals (1.4), while shooting 54.3% from the floor and 42.4% from behind the arc.

The World Cup will begin on Sept. 4 and end on Sept. 13, so Allemand will not be available for the Tempo for the team’s games against the Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury during that stretch.

The earliest she can return to duty for Toronto is on Sep. 18, when the Tempo host the Indiana Fever at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario.