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Minnesota Lynx introduce Kayla McBride, Natalie Achonwa at press conferences

Photo Credit: Lamar Carter

After the Minnesota Lynx won the 2017 WNBA championship, the centerpieces of that 2010s dynasty began going elsewhere.

Maya Moore went and pursued the freeing of Jonathan Irons from prison from a 50-year sentence. Her pursuit was successful. Seimone Augustus is now with the Los Angeles Sparks. Lindsay Whalen got a coaching job with the University of Minnesota and Rebekkah Brunson got a gig as an assistant under coach Cheryl Reeve.

So did the Lynx rebuild? Not at all. They still had Sylvia Fowles and the last two Rookies of the Year, Napheesa Collier and Crystal Dangerfield, both were Lynx draftees.

Last season in the bubble, the Lynx advanced to the WNBA’s semifinals before being ousted by the eventual champion Seattle Storm. With Minnesota firmly as contenders again, Reeve decided to reload instead of rebuild by adding Kayla McBride from the Las Vegas Aces, Natalie Achonwa from the Indiana Fever and Aerial Powers from the Washington Mystics.

When Reeve spoke on the McBride signing, she mentioned that lots of people chimed in with their input to vouch for McBride – including Muffet McGraw, McBride’s coach at Notre Dame.


Fierce competitor with a will to win, unique ability to put the ball in the basket and for us, it just comes at a most perfect time and we’re excited about the ways that we think we can use her on the court … and take another step as a basketball player.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve also mentioned how she believes the winning culture of the Lynx was also something that appealed to McBride, who herself thanked Reeve for being one of the first people to reach out to her as she was going through that process.


I can’t wait to get to know the city, my teammates, the fans and just bring that will to win, that competitiveness. I’m at a point in my career where I’m ready to take another step and after having conversations with Coach Reeve, it just feels right that this is the place where I can take that step, playing with an all-time great in Sylvia Fowles, a soon-to-be Hall of Famer. It’s an amazing feeling and just the amount of respect that I have for this organization already to be a part of it, it makes me so excited.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

McBride reiterated that the culture that Reeve has built around the Lynx was a big factor in her wanting to make the move from Las Vegas. Interestingly enough, McBride was part of an Aces team that last season advanced to the WNBA Finals.


Being a young player, and having to play against those teams, you could feel it. You could feel the energy in the building, you can feel the energy in the city around that team and this team. So, I think that automatically as a competitor you want to be a part of a winning team and I think that Coach Reeve has done a great job over the last decade that she’s been in there of creating that culture, creating this environment for this team and this city and it’s just something that’s really appealing and I know another place where I can take another step in my game.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

McBride believes that a driving force for the move was her ability to “take the next step,” which means going from an organization that is building a winner in Las Vegas to one that is an established stalwart in Minnesota.


I’m 28 years old, I feel like I’m in the prime of my career and I feel like Coach and I have talked about, it’s time for me to take that next step. I’m kind of pinpointing those goals and pinpointing those exact details where I can take my game to the next level…First and foremost it’s about championships. I don’t have one in the WNBA. I’ve had success overseas … but there’s nothing like winning a WNBA championship.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

According to McBride, this was a decision that she wanted to make for her best interests and her family’s input mattered a lot as well. McBride feels that in Minnesota, she can maximize her ability. Was there a possibility that the bubble environment last year made McBride more comfortable with her decision to sign with the Lynx because she saw more up close how Reeve interacts with players and vice versa?


It was a more stressful situation, I guess, than a normal season. So, to see how the players respond to that, I think is a testament to the coach and the organization. So … seeing the success that Minnesota had and the camaraderie that they had and that culture that they already stood on, you could definitely feel that. And I think that as a player, especially one who’s been in the league for a long time, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

Reeve agreed with McBride in how last year’s IMG bubble allowed for team to get closer looks at teams, but mentioned that it was not the deciding factor in what led Reeve to have interest in McBride. She says there has been interest in McBride for a while now from Minnesota.


Timing is everything and this was the right time for us to be together, her being an unrestricted free agent and being able to make her own decision. The timing is perfect for us with regard to our roster for her to come here and be such a big part of what we’re trying to get done.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

There are some teams that fall under the pressure of undergoing a rebuild and then it becomes a situation where those teams possibly do not get back to prominence for an extended period of time. Reeve did not want that to be the case in Minnesota and she says a big reason for what drove her to avoid a full scale rebuild was because her teams that won championships had likeable players, but a hateable organization because it was winning so much.


There were a lot of people rooting for the demise of the Minnesota Lynx. We’ve become a team that, it’s got to be the most likeable winning team, maybe, in the history of sports. We had so many likeable people, without the coach, but with the players so likeable but yet most hated, because people are just tired of seeing that kind of success.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve even told the Lynx owner, Glen Taylor, that she was not in the mindset for a rebuild and that she wanted to keep Minnesota’s winning ways going. She believes as well that the CBA has allowed for more movement among players and that it allows for teams like Minnesota, and its rivals the Los Angeles Sparks to reload as opposed to rebuild.

McBride says that it does not matter who Minnesota plays – they are always competitive, as if the team plays with a consistent chip on its shoulder. She believes she can relate to the Lynx because she feels she has played with a chip on her shoulder most of her career.


Being a part of this team is going to make me better and that I know the skillset that I have is going to allow us to be better as well.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

Per Reeve, the McBride signing was not only about her status as one of the W’s premier sharpshooters, but also if she was a good fit. With the Lynx needing more threats from deep, McBride certainly fits that need.


You could easily sometimes, veer away from those core values, and every time you do, you’re reminded why you should never veer away from those core values.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Remember when Reeve mentioned that the Lynx’s consistent winning made them hated? One of those “haters” was McBride herself, she said, after a question from Sloane Stephens, but it was purely about what the final score was most times her teams played Minnesota as opposed to a complete “hate” of the team and organization.


The thing I hated about the Lynx was losing to the Lynx.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

She says her competitive fire made her look forward to playing the Lynx because she knew it would be a challenge plus Minnesota is a consistent draw at Target Center game after game.

An aspect of McBride’s game that also has exceled over the years has been her free throw shooting. That makes McBride’s game even more dangerous because even if one fouls McBride, there is a chance that could be one of the worst fouls a team could give because McBride then goes to the line where she will sink all three free-throw attempts.


When you’re in the gym, it’s the small details that make a big difference. I think at this level, you’re constantly working, you’re constantly practicing and for most women, we’re playing year-round. So, when you’re in the gym or when you’re … watching film … it’s about the details.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

Reeve echoed McBride’s thoughts on McBride’s competitive spirit and how she hates to lose.


I do well with people that don’t like to lose a drill, don’t like to lose a shooting game. Those people are highly successful in this league.

–Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx

At this stage of her career, McBride believes that her role can be a dual role. Being in her prime, she feels she can impart values and knowledge on younger players such as Collier, Dangerfield, Lexie Brown, Jessica Shepard (another Notre Dame alum) and others while also learning from more experienced veterans such as Fowles.


The amount of knowledge that I’ll be able to soak up from a player like that, a Hall of Famer, an Olympian and be able to implement and make her better and make myself better and help Phee and help Crystal, that has to be a willingness.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx


I want to compliment each one of my teammates as best as I can. I know what I’m able to do individually, but you’re not out there individually. So, being able to be the best version of myself for my teammates is all I’m going to be striving to do.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

Reeve says that because McBride has yet to win a championship that it will only make her motivated to finally put a championship ring on her finger – and that she herself wants one for the thumb after winning four championships in the 2010s. She even mentioned doing more “for Glen” as a token of appreciation for the support, she says, Taylor has put into the Lynx over the years.

McBride’s career has spanned several coaches – whether that coach is McGraw at Notre Dame, Vickie Johnson in San Antonio, or Bill Laimbeer in Las Vegas. She says that they are very different and that her previous experience has been positive. Another thing that is viewed as a positive – how the CBA has had an effect on the free agency landscape, if one asks Reeve.


The idea that free agency has become what it did in just two seasons, I think speaks to the momentum that this league has. The CBA being something I think, kind of, helped catapult us to this space now that we’ve long wanted more to talk about in the offseason.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve believes that the CBA creates more opportunities for players to remain in their various cities during the offseason which will increase interest. The next goal is to expand that business. She shouted out those are not always covering the WNBA that have taken an interest because of the effect of free agency, but also expressed self-awareness by lauding that how a CBA may affect free agency will not matter if an organization does its job – both on the court and in the front office.


If we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll have players for a long time. We won’t have to worry about the idea that there’s free agency. Sometimes, our cap might preclude from being able to continue with a player. But my hope is that we’re a franchise that when people are here, they’re well-taken care of and they want to be part of it and free agency won’t hit us as much.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve was also asked if McBride’s role with the team may be similar to that of a Maya Moore. Since the bread and butter of McBride’s game is shooter-oriented, she compared it to either a Stephen Curry or a Klay Thompson where that remains the case.


We’ve got some big passers that … I think Kayla can benefit from. If you’re always only running in one direction, and that’s towards the three-point line, you’re a lot easier to guard. I think if you can mix up your cuts … in terms of the space and the time that you have to get your shot off increases.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve acknowledged that the addition of McBride can return Minnesota to doing things that it could do previously. McBride says that she has had conversations with Reeve about becoming less one-dimensional which is what she believes she somewhat became with the Aces under Laimbeer. McBride is also aware of the Moore comparisons.


Being able to be even compared to her in just one dimension, it means a lot to me. But, Maya is Maya and I’ve been guarding her … for a long time and … definitely going to get all my post moves from her. That little turnaround … in the post like Coach was talking about. I remember getting scored on that a lot.

–Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

She mentioned how her previous relationships with her new Lynx teammates such as Fowles, Collier, Achonwa and Dangerfield will also help a lot in her transition to Minnesota.


She’s going to spend a little bit of time trying to navigate, kind of, her new world and new terminology in a new way and I want her to focus on that first.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve believes that while there could be differences and similarities between what McBride heard in Las Vegas under Laimbeer and what she will hear under her in Minnesota that she hopes McBride can establish a confidence where she can feel comfortable in a leadership position.


She has been there and has done that and has lots to offer.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Towards the conclusion of the presser, Reeve fielded a question centering on the idea that Minnesota is not a free agent destination. Reeve says that she tunes that noise out, but also understands that within the WNBA realm, the Twin Cities can be an attractive destination for free agents because of the reputation the Lynx have established throughout the league.


We’ve got the best facilities of any team in the WNBA, and it’s not even close. We feel we have the best owner in the WNBA … When we say it starts at the top, these are really subtle things that are incredibly valuable. When you walk into our facility, it’s dual-branded. Everywhere you see Timberwolves, you see Lynx. That’s not hard to do, and it’s intentional. And so, when you leave it out, that’s intentional as well and that speaks volumes. And so, I think for us to be able to share with Kayla that she’s going to be valued by our ownership and be treated as an elite professional athlete – she’ll have a chef. Everything is going to be taken care of for her. All she’s got to do is work on her game.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

One of the last questions she did field pertained to how she felt her team looked pace-wise around Fowles and Reeve believed that it had more to do with her teammates setting that pace. Reeve says that she does not subscribe to the idea that the teams that play the fastest have the most success. Efficiency, defense and rebounding – particularly on the defensive end – are what Reeve says she wants to focus on. She particularly stressed that defensive rebounding was the difference in Game 1 of the semifinals with the Seattle Storm last year in the bubble.


Syl’s going to rebound the heck out of it, we’re going to advance the ball quick, Kayla’s going to let it fly. We’re going to do that every chance we get. And if they close out long to Kayla, she’s going to be able to put it down and have a variety of finishes at the rim or, if the defense collapses, she’s going to kick it out. Everybody’s going to play that way. But it starts with our ability to really improve at the defensive end.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

McBride, of course, was not the only addition into the Lynx family. Achonwa will be staying in the Midwest but will trade the gold of the Fever for the green of Minnesota while keeping the blue. Reeve mentioned that. Achonwa actually has been on the Lynx’s radar since 2014 – the year that she was drafted into the WNBA by the Fever.


I knew that if I was going to leave Indiana, I needed to go somewhere that was the perfect fit.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

That fit Achonwa says extends past simply on the court as it also applies to off the court as well and how the Lynx are active in the Minnesota community. Achonwa says she will retain her No. 11 that she had in Indiana.


Minnesota is a place that you feel it when you play in the arena. You feel the fans. Unfortunately, I was on the other side of that in a championship run, but I’m glad that I’m on the other side now, to be a part of an organization that has a legacy for winning.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Achonwa was referring to the 2015 season when the Lynx defeated the Fever in that season’s WNBA Finals to win their third of four championships in its 2010s dynasty. She says she sees one of the parts she will play for the Lynx team as one where she does the little things that are not always present on a statistics page.


I love to share the ball. I love to see a play ahead. I love to make a pass or set a great screen. I think a lot of the stuff that I do well doesn’t necessarily come up on the stat sheet and that’s something that I can’t wait to help and add to the Lynx.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Achonwa joked that she is glad she no longer has to guard Fowles as she now will be playing alongside Sweet Syl. Reeve praised Achonwa on mentioning wanting to win possessions and mentioned Fowles as well, calling her “the best center in the league” and “the best center of all time.”

Reeve did mention that she would like to see more balance with her Lynx team and not be so reliant on the frontcourt.


Syl’s not going to play forever … both Damiris and Syl have sustained injuries the last two seasons and it’s been problematic for us. So, we really felt like bolstering that gives us our best chance to position ourselves as a contender.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve says that when she spoke to Achonwa about filling that position that it was a “list of one.” Achonwa is also a Notre Dame alum which had to make her on-court reunion with McBride all the more gratifying.


We have grinded through a lot together, we have been through a lot together and one thing that we both – that’s embedded in us is our competitive spirit. So, I’m glad that we will be on the same team once again and be able to compete with each other.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

McBride spoke extensively about her competitive spirit and how the winning culture of the Lynx attracted her all the more to Minnesota. Another aspect of the Lynx organization that had to be a major selling point to both her and Achonwa was that the attitude was to reload instead of rebuild.


There’s no such thing as a rebuild in Minnesota.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

And since there’s no such thing as a rebuild with the Lynx, this puts Achonwa in prime position to accomplish an accolade that has eluded her up to this point – winning a championship within the WNBA.

But as the summer of 2020 showed everyone, there is more to what the WNBA does than simply on-court accolades. After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, that set off worldwide protests in support of Black Lives Matter. Achonwa acknowledged that being part of an organization such as the Lynx that stands up for social justice – and has done so consistently – was a major element in her decision to choose Minnesota as her next destination in the W.


This is nothing that’s new to the Minnesota Lynx. I’m just adding and hopefully can use my individual platform to amplify that. I am one that really embeds myself in the community that I live in. So, I can’t wait to get into Minnesota and see where I can help, where I can make Minnesota home and how I can help improve the community that will now be my home.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Reeve says that a consistent response she gets when people talk about Achonwa to her is that she is a consistently smart basketball player with a high hoops I.Q.


Kayla told me that. Coach McGraw talked about immediately, first reaction. She sees things before everybody else, and that instinct, that natural ability – you can see that. It makes a lot of sense.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

In Erica Wheeler’s presser with the Los Angeles Sparks, she mentioned that she had a conversation with Tamika Catchings, currently the Fever’s general manager about how leaving Indiana was not easy and she felt she was breaking her heart a bit. Achonwa says that her talk with her upon her departure centered on the relationship that they built given they were teammates in Achonwa’s first few seasons in the league.


At the end of the day, it is business. I am an unrestricted free agent and, like I said, it took a lot of reflection on my end to figure out what exactly I was looking for to leave Indiana. I’ve lived in Indiana the past decade, so it was not a decision that I took lightly and I expressed that to Tamika and I’m just glad that we both took the time and understood that it’s bigger than basketball. It’s bigger than a franchise, it’s bigger than a team that our relationship will continue and that I can always lean on her.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Reeve said earlier in the conference that she hoped Achonwa would develop the confidence where she could assume a leadership role as someone entering the prime of her basketball career on a new team that has a healthy mix of vets like Fowles and young players like Dangerfield and Collier. She acknowledged that in one of the conversations she has had with Reeve that her Lynx team is looking for someone who can give honest criticism.


I’m a nice person, but I can come off harsh and I come off blunt sometimes. So, that was my question on how can I lead, how can I be receptive, how can I embed myself in a team that one of their biggest strengths is their cohesiveness.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Achonwa says a key in that process is getting to know every single one of her new teammates so she can gauge how they all receive leadership and communicative attributes. She wants that relationship to be one where she can “give and take.”

As mentioned earlier, the WNBA has done plenty over the years to amplify its social justice message. That includes acknowledging that 80-90% of its athletes are Black women – Achonwa included.


When I take off the jersey, I am a Black woman and I have to make sure that I am comfortable in everything that I’m saying, everything that I’m doing because I go beyond being just a basketball player. So thinking about Black History Month and what it means to have this space and have the opportunity that people before me didn’t, that didn’t get the mic, didn’t get the platform and how can I continue to push that forward.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Black History Month, Achonwa says, particularly makes her think of Nneka Ogwumike because her status within the WNBA and WNBPA. Achonwa described her as a “strong, confident, Black woman” that is the voice of this current generation of players.


Black History should be celebrated every day of the year, not just in February.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

Achonwa agreed with comments that were made by McBride the previous day where she talked about how watching the Lynx in the bubble made it more clear that Minnesota was the preferred destination of where she wanted to go. Achonwa says she was in the locker room once while the Lynx were playing and Reeve was not too happy with how a game was going – and it clicked with her.


She was trying to light a fire under her team and the passion that she spoke with and how demanding she was of her players – that resonated with me in free agency when I’m thinking. A coach that won’t let you give up on a play, won’t let you quit a play, that wants to win every possession, that wants to demand the most out of their players.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

As she mentioned earlier in the press conference, Achonwa believes her bread and butter is doing things that do not always show up on a stat sheet. Assists are something that does show up on a stat sheet but may not be the flashy stats that points, rebounds and blocked shots may be. She hopes her assist numbers go up, because as she put it, it means her team is completing plays and putting points on the board.


It’s all about easy baskets and when you have someone like Natalie who, sometimes, understands the MVP of a possession is keeping the ball moving or, like she said, setting a great screen so you have enough time to do what you need to do to get a quality shot.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

When Reeve heard Achonwa mention how she likes to make plays that are not always those that appear on the stat sheet, she compared it to Taj McWilliams-Franklin. She was part of the Lynx for the 2011 championship and Reeve recalled how she had a similar mindset to how she approached the game.


It was about a team’s possession and what they can do and the number of times that a great screen leads to a great possession. It’s a lost art and that’s something Natalie really enjoys doing – and then certainly passing. Napheesa Collier’s one of the greatest cutters that we have in the game. And so … I felt like we needed to have someone that would be able to get her easy baskets. There weren’t a lot of easy baskets in 2020.

–Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach/general manager

Reeve says getting Collier those easy baskets was less of a chore in 2019 since she was a rookie. Achonwa closed the press conference by talking about how it meant a lot to her that she was able to connect with Reeve and that she felt the two understood each other in the conversations they have had.


People matter. How people make you feel, how you connect with people. How people support you matters. Relationships will make or break about a situation, how you feel about an organization. So, I knew the quality of person that Coach Reeve was and her staff is … I spoke from front office staff to players to coaches, I really connected and had the chance to talk to everybody and that matters.

–Natalie Achonwa, Minnesota Lynx

It matters because she acknowledged her personality as being similar to Reeve’s – and that she can learn from her as she has aspirations of becoming a coach once she retires.

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