Marina Mabrey Dropped 53 on the Team That Drafted Her. That’s Never Happened Before.

Marina Mabrey didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night. She embarrassed them, set records, and made a little history along the way.

The Toronto Tempo guard went off for 53 points in a blowout win over the Sparks — the team that drafted her sixth overall back in 2019. According to ESPN Insights, she’s now the first player in WNBA history to score 40 or more points against a former team. Not a bad way to spend a regular-season game in June.

Mabrey shot 17-of-28 from the floor, including 9-of-18 from three-point range, and hit 10 of her 12 free throws. She added six rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes. For a Tempo team playing its first season in the league, that kind of performance from a veteran is exactly what they need.

A revenge game for the books

The Sparks drafted Mabrey out of Notre Dame, but she never really got a chance to settle in with them. She played just one season in L.A. before being traded to Chicago, then bounced to Dallas and eventually landed in Toronto as part of the expansion draft. On Thursday, she made sure the Sparks remembered what they let go.

“Drafted by the Sparks in 2019, Marina Mabrey is now the first player in WNBA history to score 40+ against her former team,” ESPN Insights posted on social media. The popcorn emoji felt appropriate.

Mabrey wasn’t the only Tempo player who showed up. Julie Allemand had a near-perfect night with 13 points, 14 assists, six rebounds, three steals and a block — and she shot 4-for-4 from the field (including 3-of-3 from deep). Maria Conde added 13 points and seven boards, Kia Nurse chipped in 12 points, and Laura Juskaite grabbed 12 rebounds to go with her 10 points.

Five Toronto players hit double figures. That’s the kind of balance that could make this expansion team dangerous as the season wears on.

The Tempo now sit at 9-9, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference. They’re ahead of Chicago and Connecticut, trailing Washington and Indiana. For a first-year franchise, that’s not bad at all.

Next up for Toronto: the Phoenix Mercury come to town on June 27. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET. Mabrey probably won’t drop 50 again, but after Thursday night, nobody should be surprised if she tries.