BIOGRAPHY

Kayla McBride was born June 25, 1992 in Erie, PA. She is the oldest daughter of LaMont and LuAnn McBride. She has 2 younger sisters, Karlee and Jayden, and one younger brother, Aaron. Being an athlete is something that she has in common with all of her siblings, Karlee played basketball for Indiana University, Aaron played high school sports , and Jayden is currently playing AAU basketball for the same team that Kayla played for when she was younger.

Kayla was introduced to basketball by her father LaMont, who officiated high school games and worked summer camps. When Kayla was 4, she was already spending the day at basketball camps with her father and learning to shoot and working on drills.

Kayla took her bumps and bruises at an early age playing on the blacktop courts of Burton Park in Erie, PA. She was the only girl there during those summer days, and at 12 years old, sporting two pigtails and a little bit of baby fat, most of the time she wasn’t taken seriously. However, she turned that into respect with her jump shot and crossovers. Her father LaMont says that Burton Park gave Kayla the jumper that she has and that she learned that pull up jumper in order to survive there.

When she was 12 her father worked the all-boys Charlie Ward basketball camp and she was getting in the action as much as possible. Her father realized that she was just as good or better than most of the boys at the camp, so she got the opportunity to do the camp. She caught Charlie Ward’s eye and he started playing with her too. Charlie was such an impact on Kayla, that she started wearing #21 as a tribute to Charlie.

Kayla has always loved playing against guys that were bigger and better. She has never been scared or intimidated, and it helped her develop her competitiveness. “You can’t be a punk. You can’t back down,” Kayla said. “I always wanted them to know my name after, that I was worthy enough for them to know my name instead of the girl on the court, because I was usually the only one.”

Kayla went to Villa Maria Academy, and was a three-year starter, and four-year letter winner, with a combined record of 106-15. Her teams won two Pennsylvania Class AA titles (2009, 2010) and runner up in 2007. Kayla won several accolades during her high school career including 2010 McDonald’s High School All-American, 2010 Parade second-team All-American, 2010 ESPN RISE second-team All-American, 2010 ESPN Hoopgurlz All-Star Team, and 2010 Gatorade Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year.

Kayla headed to the University of Notre Dame, and her freshman year she averaged 8.7 ppg, but was sidelined the second half of the season due to academics as her team advanced to the NCAA Championship game. However, as horrible as it was to have the game taken away from her, her second guessing if basketball was what she really wanted to do, she pulled herself together, got into the gym, and wanted to get back.

Kayla said, “when you look at your lowest point, you realize what means the most to you; and for me it was basketball”.

Her sophomore year she was rededicated to school and basketball. She was able to elevate her game into a starting role, playing in all 39 games, and starting 36 of them, while averaging 11.6 ppg. The Fighting Irish went to the NCAA National Championship but fell to Baylor.

Kayla’s junior year Kayla’s numbers continued to rise as did her game, she averaged 15.9 ppg, and helped lead the team to the Final Four.

Kayla’s senior year she averaged 17.6 ppg, and won several accolades including, ACC Player of the Year, Named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, WBCA All-NCAA D1 Team, ESPNW All-NCAA Division I First Team, USBWA All-America Team, AP All-America First Team, Wooden Award All-America Team, and Sports Illustrated All-America Team. The Fighting Irish advanced to the NCAA National Championship game, but lost to UConn.

In 2014 Kayla entered the WNBA when she was drafted third overall by the San Antonio Stars. Kayla started all 34 games, and lead the team in scoring during the postseason. Kayla earned All-Rookie honors and finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting. The following year she was named to the WNBA All-Star Team.

In 2016 Kayla suffered a fractured foot and missed half of the season. During a game against the Minnesota Lynx, Kayla came down awkwardly on her foot and had to be helped off the court. A CT scan confirmed that she fractured her foot and would miss the remainder of the season. For the next several months basketball was taken away. She rehabed for the next 6 months, no basketball. Being away from basketball tested Kayla. But when you lose something you love, you find a way to keep pushing and get back to it. Kayla compared her injury to shooting an arrow, they can only be moved forward by pulling them back. Kayla resonates with arrows, in fact she has several tattoos that incorporate arrows.

After months of rehab Kayla returned to the court and spent the offseason in Turkey playing and won the Turkish League Championship. She then returned to the San Antonio Stars for the 2017 season, and the first time since her injury.

In 2018, the San Antonio Stars relocated to Las Vegas and Kayla seen this as a fresh start. She returned to All Star form and was once again named to the WNBA All-Star Team in 2018 and 2019.

Instead of going overseas to play basketball in 2019-2020, Kayla joined the Notre Dame coaching staff as a player development program manager, which allowed her to learn under her former coach Muffet McGraw. It gave her hands on experience from a coaching and program perspective.

In March 2020, Covid-19 struck, the world stopped, it took basketball away, and it took its toll on Kayla. In May 2020, Kayla let her followers on Instagram  know that she had struggled with her mental health for a very long time. She wrote about her anxiety and how she lost herself during quarantine.

In October, she penned an article for The Players Tribune,  in which she not only opened up about her struggles during quarantine, but also about where the mental struggles started, back at home. Now Kayla is at a point in her life where she can manage her struggles and understand them better, acknowledging that she has struggled with anxiety since she was young, she knows that recognizing where they started was a huge part of helping her cope and learn.

The 2020 WNBA season was played in a “bubble” at IMG Academy in Florida. Every team played together and lived together on the same campus. Kayla was thankful to get back to basketball. Kayla and the Las Vegas Aces finished #1 in the league and made it to the WNBA Finals, however, they lost to the Seattle Storm.

Kayla’s accolades continue to grow with every season, from high school, Notre Dame, the WNBA, and various overseas titles and awards. McBride knows that every journey will have roadblocks, but she has proved that she has the willpower to overcome them and has become stronger. “When your feet fail you, pick yourself up,” Kayla said. “Come back stronger. You’re an arrow, always moving forward. So aim for the stars.”

In 2021, Kayla signed with the Minnesota Lynx as a free agent. After announcing where she would be signing, Kayla said, “After talking with Coach Reeve and the Minnesota staff, I know this is where I’m going to take my game to the next level. And I know a lot of people are counting me out or doubting me… and I cannot f’n wait.”