Expansion Era Opens WNBA Door for Florida State Alum Maria Conde

Maria Conde has been making a name for herself in the WNBA for a long time—but it took an expansion boom to finally bring her across the pond and into the WNBA limelight.

After years of navigating the chaotic waters of back-to-back expansion drafts via the Golden State Valkyries and the Toronto Tempo, the 29-year-old Spanish forward is finally getting her shot on the world's biggest stage, the WNBA, thanks to the Toronto Tempo.

Originally selected back in the third round of the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky, the Spanish star has spent years honing her skills in Europe, transforming into one of the most reliable players in overseas basketball.  

In December 2024, with the Golden State Valkyries debuting in the league, Chicago left Conde’s draft rights unprotected, and Golden State snatched them up.

Then, again in 2026, the Toronto Tempo held another expansion draft, and they used their expansion leverage to claim her rights from Golden State. 

Raised in Madrid, Spain, she came up through the local club CB Estudiantes, where her outstanding performance caught the eyes of those from across the globe. Debuting for CB Estudiantes’s senior team in the Spanish second tier as a teenager, she averaged 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds there, quickly making a case for herself as an elite, must-have talent. 

She landed in Florida State in 2015 and spent the next two years playing for the Seminoles before deciding to return to Europe to kick off her professional career. However, those two years were enough to get the WNBA scouting eyes to notice her. 

Back in Europe in, Conde started building an even more formidable reputation playing in the toughest leagues in her rookie years. Spar CityLift Girona (Spain), Wisła Can-Pack Kraków (Poland), and CCC Polkowice (Poland), all saw Conde crushing the records in her first few months. 

However, her most successful stint in Europe came during 2020-2025 in the Czech Republic, playing for ZVVZ USK Praha, cementing herself as an elite EuroLeague wing. After finishing her winter club season in Italy with Famila Basket Schio, Conde is finally making her break in the WNBA this season. 

Because of her previous commitments at the winter club season, Conde actually missed Toronto’s early training camp and preseason practice. Fortunately, however, her paperwork is all clear for her to play under head coach Sandy Brondello just in time. 

 Brondello, as the head coach of a team that has played a master gamble on high-IQ international veterans instead of American rookies, didn’t waste Monde’s potential on the bench either. 

In a mid-May game against the Seattle Storm, she exploded off the bench for 16 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes, showing off her deep shooting range by knocking down four three-pointers. It immediately validated why Toronto used an expansion draft pick on her. 

Just a week later, the Tempo threw her in the starting line fire with injuries plaguing the team. She earned the first two starts of her WNBA career on May 19 against the Phoenix Mercury and May 21 against the Minnesota Lynx.

Although she won’t be heading for Florida this summer, her college fans will be plenty excited to see her dominating the scoreboard for the rest of this season, and potentially in the postseason as well. 

Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!