Brittney Sykes' season could potentially be over. During the Toronto Tempo's 91-113 defeat to the Indiana Fever, Sykes fell to the floor untouched, appearing to be in serious discomfort. While the official diagnosis of the 32-year-old has yet to be confirmed, the Tempo ruled her out of the rest of the matchup with a 'non-contact foot injury'. If Sykes' injury is the worst-case scenario and is related to her Achilles, Toronto's postseason ambitions will begin to disintegrate.
Brittney Sykes is out for the remainder of Tempo-Fever after exiting the third quarter with a non-contact foot injury. pic.twitter.com/iuKrUN73WU
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 17, 2026
Before a third-quarter injury prevented Sykes from returning to the floor against Indiana, the electric guard was continuing the scintillating form that she had displayed all year long. Sykes had recorded 11 points and three assists, while shooting 62.5% from the floor. At this point in the game, the Tempo were within three points of the Fever, and a win on the road was a realistic prospect.
However, without Sykes on the court, Toronto didn't display the same energy and eventually fell to a blowout defeat. Of course, teammates witnessing their colleague suffer a potentially devastating injury can take the wind out of their sails, but realistically, the lack of intensity and threat is because Brittney Sykes did not have the ball in her hands.
Toronto is not the same animal without Sykes
When acquiring Sykes and Marina Mabrey, the Toronto Tempo created one of the most exciting backcourt partnerships in the entire WNBA. Both Sykes and Mabrey possess fiery attitudes, leadership qualities, and an abundance of offensive talent that most franchises would be desperate to sign.
Nevertheless, what makes this partnership so dangerous is that the opposition must throw two defenders at each player to limit their production. When one star is taken from this equation, the Tempo's entire offensive blueprint becomes less effective and easier to disrupt. And of course, without Sykes' explosive scoring, Toronto accumulates far fewer points.
Throughout the 2026 season, the former Syracuse star has rolled back the years to record career-high scoring numbers. Sykes has averaged 20.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, while hitting 42.1% of her field-goal attempts. Additionally, her organisational skills on the defensive end of the floor, due to her wealth of experience, have been more than apparent throughout Toronto's inaugural campaign.
At this moment in time, everything surrounding Brittney Sykes' situation is speculation, and nobody has reported a concrete diagnosis other than that she suffered a non-contact injury -- which is never usually a positive sign. However, if the Tempo's worst fears are confirmed, any hopes of a deep postseason push will become even more unlikely.
Add us as a preferred source on Google