PHOENIX — Saturday night’s showcase in the desert was just as much a business trip as it was a WNBA All-Star Game. The game serves as a jumping off point for Team USA on their way to the Olympics — especially for Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve, the Minnesota Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations.
But the game that Team WNBA won over Team USA is equal parts about turning the page for the rest of the WNBA, which is officially on break the Olympics and will reconvene on August 15. The event also functions as a benchmark in what has been a successful 2024 campaign for the Minnesota Lynx. An All-Star Weekend involving Lynx representation from the head coach and its co-captains on both sidelines, the moment was not lost on Minnesota’s all-star trio.
“It’s huge. Where we are in our season too, the success we’ve had in the beginning of our season, I think it’s just a reflection of that,” Kayla McBride told The Next prior to the game. “It’s cool. What we’ve been able to, and what we’ve been through as an organization for me to be here, Phee going to Paris, Cheryl’s the coach, it’s just like a moment of reflection. How far we’ve come and how far we’re continuing to go.”
McBride’s scorching hot three-point shooting has been a key factor in Minnesota’s season so far. She finished third in the WNBA 3-Point Shooting Contest on Friday night, and converted her lone attempt from three in Saturday’s game.
The connection between McBride and Napheesa Collier makes them the Lynx’s most crucial partnership. A partnership McBride looks forward to continuing after a one-off game of them occupying different locker rooms.
“It’s definitely fun,” McBride said of playing against her co-captain. “I mean, Phee’s one of the best players in the world. MVP caliber type of player … I’d much rather have her be in my locker room, but it’s always cool to be able to have that competitive spirit. There’s just so much mutual respect. It’s a cool experience, but I’d much rather have her in my locker room for sure.”
Collier echoed the appreciation for having her co-captain sharing the moment with her.
“It’s going to be really fun,” Collier told The Next before Saturday’s game. “I know her game really well, obviously, so it’ll be fun to kind of mess with her a little bit [laughter]. Just to see her out there representing our team as an All-Star, it’s going to be really cool.”
One of the most important developments of the weekend from Minnesota’s perspective was seeing Collier emerge from the locker room in uniform and taking to the court. Collier played just under three minutes in one shift of the All-Star Game, her first game action since aggravating plantar fasciitis in her left foot in a game against the Connecticut Sun 16 days ago.
“It feels really good,” Collier said before the game. “Obviously, I miss being out there with the team. So to be able to participate again, it’s really fun.”
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It may not have been an extended run for Collier, but Reeve hinted seeing her star player close to fully healthy and back to normal is expected sooner rather than later.
“Everything that she’s done to put herself in position to be ready for us, this was the next step, getting her in a game,” Reeve said. “We certainly didn’t want to overdo it. We’re really aiming for the 29th to make sure that we’ve got the group as we want it. I think that you’ll see, the next time we play, you’ll see a lot more from Phee, so she’s doing well.”
The Lynx won’t take the court as a team again until they welcome the Washington Mystics back to Target Center on August 15. Minnesota sustained some stumbles after winning the Commissioner’s Cup and have gone 4-5 since starting the season 13-3. The absence of Collier showed just how difficult life could be for the Lynx if they had to go without their star for an extended period of time. Though they were able to escape with wins in three of the five games they played without her.
As the current No. 3 team in the Western Conference, and with Collier getting back into game shape, they’re in good position to claim home court advantage in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2021. A level of success for the team stemming directly from the growth of Collier and McBride over the past few seasons.
“Of course I’m super proud,” Reeve said before the game. “I do have a USA Basketball polo on today, so I full-on have shifted. I’m incredibly proud that Phee is on this journey with us, and I’ve had a chance to have K-Mac a part of this in pool play, so that was really fun. Now going against K-Mac, we’re going to treat her just like everybody else that we’re playing against. We want to play great. USA Basketball wants to play great. If K-Mac happens to do well we’ll be happy for her.”
McBride expressed that same pride for her coach and teammate, even if they were opponents just for a day.
“It’s really special, especially with the season we’re having,” McBride said. “Being the third seed in the WNBA right now, the first 25 games, they’ve been so much fun. So to see where we are and just be able to come take a moment to reflect before we get back to it. It’s great. You know, there’s so much love between us too. Shout out Claire [Duwelius] and Carley [Knox], everybody who’s with us every single day. I think that we’re holding all of that together. It’s a really special moment and I’m excited to be able to do it with them.”
