TORONTO - When the 2023 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season gets underway on Friday, May 19, four Canadian players are set to be a part of three different organizations.

Kia Nurse, Bridget Carleton, Laeticia Amihere and Natalie Achonwa are all under contract by WNBA teams for the 2023 season, which begins with a four-pack of games set for opening night.

Among the teams getting the season underway on Friday night are the Minnesota Lynx and Bridget Carleton, who will take on the Chicago Sky in a rematch of the first-ever WNBA game in Canada which took place last week in Toronto. Carleton starred as the lone Canadian to take the court in the game — a game held three hours from her hometown of Chatham, Ont.

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Carleton recently wrapped up her season with Perfumerías Avenida’s in Spain and joined the Lynx earlier this month ahead of her fifth year with the team. It’s shaping up to be a big season for Carleton after being named to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup All-Star Five team last fall after leading Canada with 12.8 points per game in the tournament. 

While Achonwa, Carleton’s Lynx teammate, won’t be on the floor when the season begins, she remains on Minnesota's opening day roster. The Guelph, Ont. native is under contract with the Lynx but is currently away from the team after giving birth to her son earlier this year.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;When the anthem was playing I was getting chills.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/NatAchon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NatAchon</a> spoke about how it feels, as a Canadian, for the <a href="https://twitter.com/WNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WNBA</a> to come not only her hometown but her home country. 🇨🇦 <a href="https://t.co/Fuq63m8Zmh">pic.twitter.com/Fuq63m8Zmh</a></p>&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1657502032981311496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

While the familiar face of Achonwa will be missed, Nurse, Achonwa’s fellow longtime Senior Women’s National Team teammate, is set to return. She will be entering her sixth season in the league, but first with the Seattle Storm after signing with the organization in the offseason. 

The Hamilton, Ont. product missed the entire 2022 WNBA campaign following a knee injury, but returned to action for the Senior Women’s National Team at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup this past fall. She helped Canada to a fourth-place finish — the team’s best finish in a World Cup since 1986.

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Now she’ll make her return to the WNBA court this spring. Nurse is set to star in Seattle, and is expected to take on a lead role with the new look Storm. The one-time WNBA All-Star, who is one of only three Canadians to be named a WNBA all-star in league history, will be looking to build upon her strong World Cup performance last fall and take the next step this season. Her first WNBA game since Oct. 6, 2021 will take place on Saturday, May. 20, when Nurse and the Storm take on the Las Vegas Aces at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Across the country, Amihere will also be getting used to new surroundings. After being selected eighth overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft, Amihere enters the WNBA looking to carve out a role in Atlanta with the Dream. The South Carolina Gamecock alumna is fresh off wrapping up a decorated collegiate career, which includes the 2021 NCAA National Championship. The Mississauga, Ont. product showed her potential during the preseason for the Dream, including recording 8 points, 6 rebounds and a block against the Washington Mystics. Amihere is set to make her WNBA debut on Saturday, May 20 against the Dallas Wings, with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m. ET.

Fans north of the border will be able to follow the action all season long by subscribing to WNBA League Pass, which is available in Canada for $24.99 USD per year. Select games throughout the season will also be broadcast on Sportsnet across its national TV and streaming platforms. 

Canadians a part of WNBA organizations ahead of 2023 season

- Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.) - Minnesota Lynx,

- Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ont.) - Atlanta Dream,

- Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ont.) - Minnesota Lynx

- Kia Nurse (Hamilton, Ont. ) - Seattle Storm