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Kate Martin has backed Kayla McBride as the Unrivaled League's regular season MVP as the tournament enters its final weekend. McBride, who has a two-year $413,000 contract with the Minnesota Lynx, and Martin both play for Laces BC, which is currently in fifth place in the Unrivaled rankings.
Despite the team posting a 5-7 record thus far, McBride has averaged 22.5 points per game, the second most of any player. Because of that, Laces BC started a "Kayla for MVP" campaign on Instagram, which caught the attention of Martin.
"McBride for MVP… #NUFFSAID. Make sure to vote for Kayla McBride for Unrivaled’s MVP presented by @millerlite," the caption of the post read.
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Martin commented:
"My MVP."
In response, McBride replied:
"Well i don’t need anyone else to say it then, miss you already."
Currently, Napheesa Collier is the MVP frontrunner given she's averaging the most points per game (26.3) in Unrivaled, along with the most steals per game (1.9).
McBride will have a chance to further her case for MVP this weekend when Laces BC faces off with Phantom BC on Friday and Mist on Saturday.
Kate Martin expected to be shut down for the remainder of the Unrivaled season due to leg injury
As Kayla McBride indicated in her response to Kate Martin, she misses having the Golden State Valkyries player around. Martin is reportedly dealing with a left leg issue.
Because of that, she isn't expected to return to action for Laces this season. While the team could move into fourth place and secure a spot in the final four, Martin and the team seem to be playing it safe for now.
There's a chance that Martin will return to action at the end of the season if the Laces make it to the final four.
"Kate Martin and Kahleah Copper are not expected to be on the bench during upcoming games as they continue to rehab from injuries. They are expected to return to towards the end of the season," Megan Hall wrote.
While the team is currently sitting in fifth, they're tied for third based on their record, however, with the point differential being the tiebreaker, the team will need to overtake Vinyl or Mist in the standings to clinch a spot in the final four.
