Kayla McBride

McBride went to the University of Notre Dame to play basketball. As a freshman, she had to sit out half of the season because of academic issues. She watched from the sidelines as her team lost to Texas A&M in the 2011 NCAA Championship. That season she appeared in 19 games, starting in 4. McBride averaged 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and shot .557 from the field, the third highest on her team. They ended the season with a 31–8 record.

Her sophomore season she appeared in all 39 games, and started in 36 of those 39 games. In her sophomore year she ranked fourth on the team with a .496 field goal percentage, fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 11.6 points per game, and won the Big East regular-season free throw percentage crown, with a free throw percentage of .919. The Fighting Irish again appeared in the championship, and again, they lost, but this time to Baylor. During that game McBride scored 11 points.

Again, she played all 37 games, and started in 36 games. McBride averaged 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. She led the league in free throw percentage, and almost tied ninth in the country but was two made foul shots shy of the minimum to qualify for the national ranking. Her field goal percentage was .453 that season, her lowest yet. Notre Dame went to the Final Four for the third time in a row, but they lost to UConn.

McBride started in all 38 games. She averaged career highs of 17.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. The Fighting Irish went undefeated, until during the championship game against Connecticut, who was also undefeated because both teams were in a different conference (with Notre Dame in the ACC conference), it was the first time the two teams had met that season. It was McBride's last chance to win a college championship. But Notre Dame lost in the second half, with the final score being 79–58. McBride contributed 21 points and 5 rebounds to her last game as a collegiate athlete.[2]

In the 2014 WNBA draft, McBride was drafted third overall by the San Antonio Stars. She started all 34 games for the Stars in her rookie season, leading the Stars in scoring, averaging 13.0 ppg, which also ranked third among rookies in the WNBA. She was one of three unanimous selections to the WNBA All-Rookie Team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. McBride scored in double-figures in 21 games, including two 30-point performances, while recording the most points by a Stars rookie (442) since the team relocated to San Antonio. She set career highs in assists (6) and steals (5), while scoring 15 points at Tulsa (7/17). The Stars achieved a playoff berth and finished third place in the Western Conference but were eliminated by the Minnesota Lynx in a 2-game sweep during the first round. McBride led the Stars in scoring during the postseason (22.5 ppg), while scoring a team-high 20 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals and 25 points in Game 2.

In her second season, McBride was voted into the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game, and finished the season, averaging 13.8 ppg, but the Stars didn't make the playoffs this time.

In the 2016 season, McBride would continue to improve, but suffered a right foot injury on July 2 against the Minnesota Lynx. She was ruled out for the remainder of the season and finished with a career-high of 17.1 ppg.[4]

In the 2017 season, McBride would return healthy and play 30 games with 29 starts, averaging 15.4 ppg. On August 1, 2017, McBride scored a career-high 31 points in a 93–81 win over the New York Liberty.[5] The Stars finished with a league worst 8–26 record.

In 2018, the Stars relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada and were renamed the Las Vegas Aces. In March 2018, McBride re-signed with the Aces to a multi-year deal in free agency.[6] In 2018, McBride have the best season of her career thus far. On June 28, 2018, McBride scored a new career-high of 38 points in a 97–91 loss to Dallas Wings.[7] McBride would be an all-star for the second time in her career as she was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. By the end of the season, McBride averaged a new career-high in scoring, this performance along with rookie sensation A'ja Wilson would almost lead the Aces back in the playoffs but they fell short finishing 9th place in the league with a 14–20 record.

In 2019, the Aces had a much improved season and finished with a 21–13 record as the number 4 seed, receiving a bye to the second round under the league's new playoff format, bringing the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. McBride was voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her fourth all-star appearance. In the second round elimination game, the Aces would defeat the Chicago Sky 93-92 off a game winning half-court shot by teammate Dearica Hamby. However, in the semi-finals, the Aces would lose to the Washington Mystics in four games.

In 2020, the season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic. McBride played and started in all 22 games, the Aces finished 18–4 with the number 1 seed, receiving a double bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Aces would advance to the Finals after defeating the Connecticut Sun in a hard-fought five-game series but would end up getting swept by the Seattle Storm.

In 2021, McBride became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Minnesota Lynx.[8]