"I never look at the ball": Kayla McBride on her shooting technique, balancing WNBA/Euroleague styles and more (Exclusive)

As she strives to perfect her craft, Minnesota Lynx veteran guard Kayla McBride discovered the daily habits have both yielded success and joy.

The Lynx (7-3) enter Sunday’s game against the Seattle Storm (7-3) with McBride on pace to post career-highs from the field (46.9%) and from deep (48.6%) partly because she always stares at the rim following every shot.

McBride said she remains in a strong mental space because of daily meditation sessions. And she feels as physically fit and healthy because she has incorporated juicing largely into her diet.

“Juicing has changed my life,” McBride told Sportskeeda.

Kayla McBride interview (Exclusive)

McBride spoke to Sportskeeda about various topics, including her juicing diet, why she views teammate Napheesa Collier as “one of the most underrated superstars” and her work in the mental health space.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What’s been your impressions of the season so far?

Kayla McBride:

“The season has been great. Obviously, there’s a lot of new faces. But I spent a lot of time with Phee (Napheesa Collier) in the offseason, so there was already a lot of trust there. So it was just about figuring out where everybody fit in. It kind of happened organically. It’s been fun to put the pieces together on the fly and compete with each other. But the energy has been so good. The chemistry has been so good on and off the floor. It kind of translates into a lot of great things on the court. Yeah, there are ups and downs and hard times and all that. But it makes the hard times easier with what we have off the court.”

Talent aside, why do you think things clicked organically?

Kayla McBride:

“Because of where everybody is in their career. There’s maturity. You look at [Natisha] Hiedeman, who has been in a system like Connecticut. You look at Court [Courtney Williams], who has been in the league and has been through a lot of things in her nine-year career. We have people like that that can step into their roles. We have rookies and players. We have young. We have old. I’m the oldest now (31). And we have everything in between. I think everybody knows who we are. We allowed that to happen organically. That’s why there is no force or push. We’re all just pulling. That’s the coolest part about it.”

It’s early. But your numbers have been as efficient as they’ve ever been in your 11-year career. What do you think is the reason for that?

Kayla McBride:

“I just know who I am. I’ve spent a lot of time overseas. I’ve been getting to know who I am as a player. I’m not trying to do the most. I’m just trying to do what I know I’m really, really good at. I’m a vet in this league. I know this league. I understand how to defend. I understand the players and what they like to do. I understand where I’m at now is about being comfortable with who I am on the court. I’m not trying to be who the media wants me to be or what anybody wants me to be. I’m just being who I am. That’s got me a long way.”

You’re being who you are, but you’re getting to the rim, finding it from midrange and shooting it from deep. How have you put all three of those things together?

Kayla McBride:

“Just confidence. It’s in the work. I just finished my ninth year overseas. That’s a lot of shots. That’s a lot of times playing and getting to know myself and really getting to know where I’m comfortable with where I excel. I work on that over and over again, and that’s what you get. You get efficiency. You get confidence. I think it’s about the work. I just enjoy the process. I really, really love basketball. I enjoy the work that goes into it every day. I have a great passion about it. I think it’s a great testament to that.”

You said you get a lot of shots. What does that day-to-day work look like?

Kayla McBride:

“In the offseason, I’m playing twice a week in Europe. In Turkey, I’ve been playing. In between that, I’m playing with the best in the world. I’m playing with Phee. I’m playing with Emma Meesseman. I’m playing in the second-best league in the world when I’m not playing in the best one. It’s not something I take lightly. Winning in EuroLeague takes a lot of work. It’s a different style of game. But I think it helps translate into what I do here.”

How so?

Kayla McBride:

“The physicality and the way the game moves and flows. It’s different. So when I’m here and I have more freedom of movement, it’s different when I get my shot off here than when in the WNBA. It’s harder for me to get my shot off in the EuroLeague than it is here.”

Did I read correctly that when you shoot, you look at the rim?

Kayla McBride:

“Yeah! I never look at the ball. I know a lot of people do that. But I don’t understand. That’s how I was taught – looking at the rim. I know a lot of people look at the ball and the trajectory. But I feel like it just distracts me from where I’m actually trying to throw it. A lot of people do that. I’m just not one of them, though.”

How has that helped you?

Kayla McBride:

“I feel like I can get it off quicker. I’m not as worried about the defense because if I can see the rim, that means I can get my shot off. A lot of people are worried about getting the ball up and things like that. But I’m just worried if I can see the rim or not. That’s been able to speed up my ability to get my shot off. It’s weird. I never had done it, anyway. So, I couldn’t tell you what it feels like doing it any other way.”

Coach [Cheryl Reeve] said that you’ve been as physically and mentally good as you’ve ever been. What’s your perspective on that?

Kayla McBride:

“I really worked on my body in the offseason. That eliminated a lot of things that maybe I did in my younger years that I can’t do now. I changed up my diet. The mental part is about having those conversations with myself and knowing where I’m at in my career and knowing where I’m at with this team and accepting that role and then doing it to the best of my ability. That comes with the physical and mental preparation."

"Then it’s about trusting the work that I put in, too. I’ve played a lot of basketball games. So it’s not about trying to come out here and do this or do that. It’s about being as efficient as possible. That’s what this team needs from me. I’ve enjoyed that process. I really enjoy the process of getting better and getting to be the best version of myself with each team that I play on.”

What’s changed in your diet?

Kayla McBride:

“Juicing has changed my life. I juiced probably like 40% of the day. I drink three or four juices a day, and I have two meals a day. It’s just changed. It’s been different for my body, and it works for me. It’s helped me lean out. It’s helped me with my endurance. It’s been a lot of beet juice and watermelon juice. It’s not necessarily meal replacements. I still eat a lot of food. I have a lot of nutrients with pastas and meats. But with eliminating some of the other stuff – the breakfast sandwiches and all of that. I eliminated all of that and basically kept everything organic and clean. That helped me.”

When did that start, and what prompted that?

Kayla McBride:

“Overseas. During the 2020-21 year, that was the heaviest I had been, especially with during quarantine. It was such a mess. So it was about getting my body back on a regular cycle. I recalibrated. I also got older. Once you hit 30, things change. You have aches that you never had before. Things don’t move the same way. I knew something had to change, and that it was something that I was interested in. I took it and ran with it. I have a great juice spot in Minny. I juice at home. I juice at Istanbul. It’s something that I’m really passionate about, and it works for me. It really changed my life.”

You’re doing it consistently. But was it easy to adjust?

Kayla McBride:

“Oh no. At first, I was getting headaches. Then my body had to recalibrate. Now, I need it. I’m almost craving it. I need it. Before, it was like putting bad oil in a car. Once you put premium oil in it, you can’t go back. You can’t do that anymore.”

What things did you tap into in the mental space?

Kayla McBride:

“It’s all about the work and taking care of my body with self-care things. The juice thing, making sure that I’m eating right and sleeping right. That always goes into the mental side. But then there’s meditation and finding a balance outside of basketball. I played a lot of basketball in my career, whether it was overseas or in the WNBA. So it’s about finding a balance within my family and my friends and our relationships. Those things go a long way with me. Just finding a balance. Having my balance is really huge.”

What things feel your cup to help with that balance?

Kayla McBride:

“Music is a huge thing. I love to cook and bake. Then I like to be with friends and family. And then I disconnect from basketball when I’m not in the gym. That has really helped me give my all when I’m in the gym. I’ve played so many games nine years straight with overseas and things like that. But when I’m not in the gym? Since I’m there a lot, I try to disconnect completely.”

You’ve done a lot of things in the community with mental health…

Kayla McBride:

(interrupts) “Yeah, it’s something that I’m really passionate about and that I struggled with and opened up about as an athlete and as a Black woman. It’s something that I always struggle with, so giving back to the youth is something that I’m really passionate about. I’ve been able to do some great work back in Minny, and I’m going to continue to do that. There’s a place called the Washburn Center [for Children] where they have these kids and they come in and bring therapists. Then they also bring their parents. Whatever they are going through in their lives, whether it’s at home or they’re getting in trouble at school, they are bringing in the therapists and having those conversations early. That’s something that I’m really passionate about because it’s sometimes a scary thing. There’s a stigma around it. But having those conversations opens it up, and it freezes it for the kids to express their own feelings early so they’re not dealing with things as much as they get older.”

What things did you learn during that visit to the Washburn Center?

Kayla McBride:

“That’s something that I wish I would’ve had. But also how important the parents are all of it, too. The kids may be the ones acting out and getting in trouble and everything. But you never know what’s going on with the kids at home. Getting the parents involved is really important because maybe a cycle needs to be broken at some point. Maybe their parents or their parents’ parents had issues. To be able to break the cycle with the parents is really, really important for me. I’ve been open about me and my dad’s relationship. He’s been open to me about the things he felt he could never express. So breaking that cycle is important for kids.”

What has the mental side of things done for WNBA players handling the increased exposure and scrutiny?

Kayla McBride:

“It’s crazy. I was saying this the other day. This rookie class, there are all of these eyes on them. I got my Twitter in 2013 and was in the league in 2014. Think about how much it’s grown since then. The amount of pressure and eyes on them and scrutiny of what they do in between these four lines and outside of these four lines is incredible. So having the resources readily available and them having a safe space to open up and talk about how they’re feeling is something the WNBA will continue to push forward. Hopefully we can continue to support each other as a group of women. But also as a league and make sure we have the right resources for these young kids. It’s not easy. Hopefully as it continues to grow, we’ll grow at it as well.”

You developed so much chemistry with Phee both with the Lynx and overseas in Turkey. How do you compare the experiences?

Kayla McBride:

“It’s such a different game. Phee is so easy to play with. We get along like this because our personalities mesh well together. There is no ego there. There is a lot of trust. Our ability to come out and be the best version of ourselves for each other and for our team, that’s what we connect on. We’re married to ourselves and we have our families and things we like to do. But when it comes to these four lines, we’re locked in. That’s what I’ve always appreciated about Phee. As a superstar, she’s just about her work and how she can be the best version of herself for our team. It’s not about anything else. That translates overseas, too. She’s great. She’s the reason that I wanted to stay here and extend myself [in 2023]. Phee is a big part of it. I think she’s one of the most underrated superstars, if not the most underrated superstar in our league. She’s an MVP candidate. Who wouldn’t want to play with someone like that?”

What makes her underrated?

Kayla McBride:

“Her ability to do it on the low. I don’t think she is someone that needs a lot of attention to bring everything she has to the game. Some people need that. But she’s not the type of player that needs a lot of attention and still be the superstar that she is. We give her the love. We know how much we appreciate her. I think it’s also how she’s continued to grow, too. She keeps taking these different steps. I’m so proud of her, especially with being a mom and coming back. Last year was one of the most amazing seasons I’ve ever seen by anybody.”

Speaking of being underrated, the whole team wasn’t listed high in the pre-season rankings, but you all are at the top of the Western Conference. What is underrated about the team?

Kayla McBride:

“On paper, you don’t look at us and think, ‘Wow, this team should be top three in the league.’ But it’s a collective effort to do that. We have a lot of belief in ourselves individually and collectively. We’re anchored by our defense. But our core has been together for a while. Phee and I have been playing together for a while. We have a lot of players that have come in and just know themselves. These are players that have been doing their thing in other places, maybe just not in the public eye in Europe or anywhere else. Now we’re bringing our talent together and enjoying the process of figuring out how to do it together. We don’t want anyone’s approval or anything like that. We just want to come out and be the best version of ourselves each and every day for each other. That’s something nobody can break.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider with Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.