Veteran sharpshooter Kayla McBride is setting the record straight after reports circulated that she declined an invitation to participate in the WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest.
McBride pushed back on that narrative, revealing that she never received what she considered an official invitation.
“I received a half ass invite to the 3 pt contest through my agent in a text randomly 48 hours ago… not officially.”
The Minnesota Lynx guard’s comments suggest the issue wasn’t a lack of interest in competing, but rather the manner and timing in which the invitation was delivered. With the event just two days away, McBride indicated the outreach came informally through her agent via text message rather than through a formal invitation from the league.
Her clarification comes after similar confusion surrounded New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who also recently addressed reports regarding her status for the event. McBride’s remarks now add another layer to the conversation surrounding how participants are selected and notified for one of All-Star Weekend’s marquee competitions.
Widely regarded as one of the premier shooters in the WNBA, McBride has built a reputation as one of the league’s most consistent long-range threats. Her absence from the contest had prompted questions from fans, many of whom expected one of the game’s elite shooters to be featured.
Following McBride’s explanation, the discussion has shifted away from whether she declined the opportunity and toward whether the invitation process itself should be handled differently.
What do you think? Should the WNBA do more to ensure marquee players receive formal invitations to All-Star events? Let us know in the comments.
