Minnesota Lynx rep Kayla McBride will step in for the fallen Rhyne Howard at this weekend’s WNBA All-Star Game.
Napheesa Collier‘s roster at this weekend’s 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will have a little more bite to it.
Collier will have another Minnesota Lynx teammate to work with when she faces off against Caitlin Clark‘s curated club at Saturday’s exhibition in Indianapolis (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC): the WNBA announced on Tuesday that Kayla McBride will step onto the Team Collier roster in place of the injured Rhyne Howard (Atlanta).
McBride, 33, thus reaches her fifth WNBA All-Star Game, the latest of a decorated WNBA career that began as the third overall pick of Notre Dame in 2014’s draft. Entering Tuesday night play, McBride is tied with fellow All-Star Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles) in successful 3-pointers this season at 50, behind only, ironically enough, Howard. She has sunk 669 in her WNBA career, good for seventh all-time and the leader among active women.
McBride becomes the third member of the league-leading Lynx (19-4) to earn All-Star entry, joining Collier and Courtney Williams as they seek a return trip to the WNBA Finals. Collier managed to land all three, as well as head coach Cheryl Reeve, on her team, landing the latter’s services through a swap that sent New York Liberty boss Sandy Brondello over to Clark’s side.
Howard, unfortunately, is said to be out for the remainder of the month, having endured a knee injury in the Dream’s Friday night loss to Indiana. The top pick from the 2022 draft was set to partake in her third All-Star Game and was averaging 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds prior to her medically-induced departure.
Howard’s absence is a hit to the Atlanta representation, as the Dream now only have Allisha Gray on display. Gray will nonetheless keep busy, as the league announced that she will partake in both the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
