Former HBCU star Zaay Green is getting another opportunity to earn her first WNBA minutes.
The Toronto Tempo signed Green to a developmental contract on Tuesday, adding the former University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff standout to its roster. The deal comes more than a year after the Washington Mystics selected her in the third round of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Green has yet to appear in a regular-season WNBA game. Washington waived her during training camp last spring, sending the 6-foot-2 guard toward an overseas route that many aspiring WNBA players know well.
The 25-year-old spent the past year playing for Kibirkstis Vilnius in Lithuania, AEL in Cyprus and Adelitas in Mexico. Across 51 games, Green averaged 12.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals.
That production helped Zaay Green create a new opening with a Toronto Tempo team in need of depth.
Zaay Green made history at UAPB
Green’s college journey included stops at Tennessee, Texas A&M, UAPB and Alabama. Her HBCU chapter became the defining stretch of that path.
Zaay Green played at UAPB from 2021 through 2024 and became the centerpiece of the Golden Lions. The program credits Green with 1,278 points, 533 rebounds, 408 assists and 176 steals during her three seasons in Pine Bluff.
Green averaged 17 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game at UAPB. She also recorded 28 double-doubles and six triple-doubles, including the first triple-double in program history.
After graduating from UAPB in 2024, Zaay Green used her final college season at Alabama. She averaged 15.7 points, five rebounds and a team-high 4.5 assists across 33 games. Her 519 points also led the Crimson Tide.
Washington then selected Green with the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She became the first UAPB women’s basketball player chosen in the draft.
Looking to make waves in the WNBA
Now the WNBA’s developmental designation gives Green a more direct path to the court. Teams can carry two developmental players beyond the standard 12-player roster. Each player can appear in up to 12 regular-season games but cannot compete in the postseason. A team receives 24 total developmental-player activations for the season.
Zaay Green joins Toronto as the team searches for answers during a difficult inaugural season. The Tempo fell to 10-22 after Monday’s 107-95 loss to the Atlanta Dream, extending its losing streak to nine games.
Injuries have contributed to the slide. Star guard Brittney Sykes has not played since June 16 because of plantar fasciitis, although she is nearing a return.
“We can’t allow people to score 107 points on us,” Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello said after the Atlanta loss. “Defence is such a big need for us, and that’s what [Sykes] does well.”
The developmental deal does not guarantee Zaay Green a WNBA debut. It does, however, place the former HBCU star inside a struggling team’s locker room with 12 possible chances to show she belongs.