Former WNBA champion helping elevate Raptors 905’s winning culture

The ball went up on the Raptors 905’s regular season on Jan. 5 and just over a month into the season they have the second-best record in the NBA’s G-League. The nature of the league sees teams’ rosters have interchanging faces on an almost daily basis with players getting 10-day contracts with NBA teams or Raptors players being sent down the road to get some minutes. However, a new, but consistent face who is helping shape the future of this team is 2012 WNBA champion Tammy Sutton-Brown.

“It’s been an interesting transition because I was on the player’s side for so long,” Sutton-Brown told CityNews about her role as the 905’s Associate of Basketball and Franchise Operations. “Now to be able to see how things function and work on the front office side has been really, really interesting.”

Sutton-Brown was drafted 18th overall in the 2001 WNBA draft by the Charlotte Sting, where she would play alongside South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley and would end her playing career winning the WNBA Championship in 2012 with current Indiana Fever general manager and 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Tamika Catchings.

“I’ve definitely played with some really, really great players on and off the court and have been able to pull from them and ask them questions,” Sutton-Brown said.

When asked if she has considered coaching or being a team’s GM, she said, “I’ve reached out to Tamika and I talk to Dawn every now and then. I’m just now starting to get into the front office side and just getting my feet wet. Hopefully, I can be as successful as they are in their respective careers.”

Sutton-Brown made a number of historic moments for Canadian basketball players in the ‘W’ including becoming the first Canadian to be selected to play in a WNBA All-Star game. With her new role, she is relishing the fact she is helping set the players in the G-League up for success on and off the court.

“The guys definitely have a lot more resources than I did when I was playing in the WNBA. We do financial literacy and we have those conversations as well as conversations about healthy relationships and how to build those. So we dig deep into a lot of different things off the court. At the end of the day, basketball is only part of your life and there’s this whole other career once you’re finished to get into,” she said.

“There is no typical day. I also do player development off the court with the guys and so being a former athlete myself, one of the things that I definitely want to provide for the guys is resources off the court to help them be successful.”

An Instagram post by WNBA Champion Tammy Sutton-Brown. INSTAGRAM/tksb15

This is a new career path for Sutton-Brown who is in her first year with the 905.

“But it’s been fun. It’s been challenging, a lot more work than I thought I would have to do. But that’s part of the process. And, you know, we have great people here, we have great staff, and being the Associate of Basketball and Franchise Operations I get to work closely with our vice-president who has been with the Raptors organization for 15 or 16 years, so I’m learning a lot, and I’m really enjoying it,” she said.

Aside from shining in the WNBA, Sutton-Brown played internationally in South Korea, Russia, Czech Republic, and Turkey, as well as representing Canada in several international competitions including the 2000 Sydney Olympics where she was one of the youngest players on the women’s basketball team.

“The Olympics honestly to this day was probably the highlight of my career. Obviously winning the WNBA championship was pretty big, but to be able to put on that jersey and play for your country for seven years was such an honour. We didn’t do that well, but definitely, a lot of you know, preparation going into that. One thing I try to get these guys to understand is that hard work is pretty much the only way to get things done and to achieve your goals.”

Although Sutton-Brown never officially announced her retirement 10 years ago, she is excited to help mentor young players in the league and help continue the winning culture within the 905’s organization

“It’s a family when you come here,” she said.