(PHOTO CREDIT: Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images.)
YO. THIS IS BACK FOR A MINUTE.
So, uh, it’s been a while since I had something in this old web site, huh? I thought it was most appropriate to bring this back with what I didn’t know was a goal of mine until a couple of years ago.
First of all, I cover the Los Angeles Sparks now for The Sporting Tribune. I’m technically a beat writer so I have a lot more access to the Sparks. And I have a lot more access to the WNBA itself.
A few years ago, I wrote about Kayla McBride because, seemingly out of nowhere, my niece, Eden, showed an interest in basketball. She joined me in watching the WNBA three-point shootout. My niece chose the one in red, who happened to be McBride. After that, she started practicing dribbling and even started wearing a bun like Kayla. Kayla has even gone out of her way to acknowledge my posts about my niece.
So after the Lynx visited the Sparks last Tuesday (June 20th, 2022), I took a chance and finally got the interview I wanted. I was able to spend a few minutes with Kayla McBride and talked a little bit about her career, how they currently have the Sparks’ number, where women’s basketball will be in the future, and even gave my niece a shoutout.
THE NO-LOOK PASS: How are you feeling? How are family and friends?
KAYLA MCBRIDE: Good. Everybody’s good. It’s always cool to come on the road and be able to see family. My big brother and my trainer, they live out here in Long Beach. I don’t get to see my godkids too much but when I do, I try to spend time as much as I can when I’m out here.
TNLP: You pretty much play basketball all year round without much of an offseason.
K-MAC: Yes, I do! (laughs)
TNLP: How are you able to handle that?
K-MAC: Who knows? Some days are easier than others. I just genuinely really really love the game. I love winning. I love being competitive. But I genuinely love the game of basketball. That’s kind of what pushes me through on the hard days, the days where my body doesn’t want to chill out and all those things. Just the will to win, the will to just be part of a team and locker room; I love that feeling. Yeah, it’s hard; hard on the body, hard on the mind but it’s worth it. Like games like today where it’s really hard, it’s an ugly game and you have to work super hard for it. These are the games that I wouldn’t change anything, being there at the end, and being able to do it with your sisters. It’s really special.
TNLP: I imagine the language barrier is difficult when you’re playing overseas.
K-MAC: Yeah, it is. But I’ve been in Turkey for 6 years now; well, it’ll be my 6th year. For me, I can understand… and everybody speaks English. We have players from all over the world; we have European players, Turkish players, American players… but you know, we all speak the language of basketball and that’s the most important thing.
TNLP: So the Lynx are now 4-8. Obviously, it’s not the start anyone would want. But what can you take away from the first 12 games of the season?
K-MAC: We’re still playing decent and we’re slowly figuring out our identities. And we found it through the defensive end. That’s something we really hung our hat on, this franchise has hang their heart on. I think once we figure out who we are defensively, offense comes from that. And our confidence comes from that.
And I think we’re slowly figuring that out. We still have players who are moving into different roles. We lost a good part of who we’ve been in Syl (Sylvia Fowles) last year. So that’s a big void to fill. We have rookies coming in. Our #2 pick (Diamond Miller) gets hurt. AP (Aerial Powers) gets hurt. It’s hard but I think our team has showed so much toughness through all the adversity. We’re 3-1 in our last four and that’s the most important thing. And now we get a chance to extend that streak back at home. But that’s the story of the WNBA, right? I remember the Connecticut Sun were 0-6 or 0-7 back in 2020 (Note: They actually started out 0-5.) in the bubble and they ended up in the semifinals. So that’s just how the WNBA is. I think as long as you’re able to find your identity and work together the right way, it’s gonna be easier. And then we had a pretty rough start to the season, too. We played Connecticut, we played Washington, we’re supposed to play New York in New York (been postponed since). So we want to take the volition that we have, especially from this road trip and push forward into the next couple of weeks. It’s exciting. It’s a grind but I’ve been enjoying the process.
TNLP: You’ve defeated the Sparks three times now so you’ve had their number. What is it you see against them that you were able to get things done?
K-MAC: Their post play is something we really came in trying to suppress. You know Nneka, Chiney, Dearica, Azurá, they play big. And we play big. We wanted to suppress that and kind of just push the pace, get into their bench. And I think we really did a good job. Obviously, they have an all-star in Nneka Ogwumike, who is able to get her points. But to contain the rest of the players, we really hang our hat on the defensive end and that was able to propel us to win these games. Phee (Napheesa Collier) played at her best, for sure. But it was about our defense and what we were able to do. The consecutive stops in a row; that’s what we were missing early on in the season and we were able to get it done in L.A. We can build confidence on that into other teams and the rest of the league.
TNLP: You’ve stayed very consistent whether it’s with San Antonio and then Las Vegas and now with the Lynx, even in Europe. Is there any secret to that? Is it doing the same routine over and over?
K-MAC: There is no secret recipe. I have an amazing support system that’s always been a big part of who I am. Coming into work every day and just… fun to work in. It’s part of the balance of my support system. My family, they’ve been amazing whether I’m in Europe, whether I’m in Turkey, whether I’m in San Antonio, whether I’m in Minnesota. They’re always there right behind me, pushing me to be the best version of myself. But around me, a safe space to just be Kayla, too, and that’s been a beautiful part of my process. And it’s allowed me to kind of stay consistent and stay grounded in who I am not only on the court but off the court. And that’s a big testament to what brings about my consistency.
TNLP: You’re all about the team but besides getting a WNBA championship, are there any more goals you still wish to attain?
K-MAC: I’m 30. I’ll be 31 at the end of next week (the 25th). The only thing that I want… one year in the league then all-star, did all that stuff, those things are great, especially when you’re young… is to be considered one of the greats, one of the most consistent, one of the best players. And win championships… that’s the main goal. That’s always gonna be the goal. I’m looking forward to working towards that goal.
TNLP: We saw the NCAA Final Four get record ratings and their biggest audiences ever. The WNBA continues to grow. Where do you see women’s basketball in about 5 or 10 years?
K-MAC: Double, triple the exposure we have now. You could look at the NIL and the exposure these young girls are getting in college and the NCAA. Then they’re bringing those followers into the WNBA and things like that… it’s huge. And you gotta look at the players now, too. The Breanna Stewarts, the Sabrina Ionescus, all those players that are blazing that trail for the Paige Bueckers, the Angel Reeses of now… Caitlin Clark… they’re going to bring their followers in the WNBA and it’s gonna keep growing and growing. It’s an ongoing cycle. The same way Diana (Taurasi) and Sue (Bird) and everybody brought us along, we gotta bring the next generation along. And they’re going to be even better. That’s the name of the game. That’s what the WNBA’s always been, doing our thing, chugging along, keeping on our success that way. We know who we are. We’re a small league but we have a big impact, especially on the court. We’re just going to keep getting better. I really enjoyed watching thse kids in college and they’ll come through in the WNBA and they’re gonna do the same thing.
TNLP: Anything you want to say to the Lynx fans or to your fans, really.
K-MAC: Thank you so much for the support. At the end of the day, we’re all just human beings. Win or lose or draw, it’s about who you are as a person. I always try to reciprocate that feeling to my fans and to the fans in the league. And I appreciate it so much.
TNLP: You wanna say hi to my niece for me?
K-MAC: Hi, Eden!
Thank you to Minnesota Lynx PR Abbey Zepper for arranging this for me and thank you to Kayla McBride for graciously granting me a few minutes of her time.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also find Rey-Rey at The Sporting Tribune where he writes about the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. And you can find more Sparks talk as he hosts a solo Sparks podcast as part of Keep’n it 9450: Codename WBB.