MCBRIDE IS BACK
The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has re-signed guard Kayla McBride. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
“There aren’t enough words to express what Kayla McBride means to the Minnesota Lynx franchise,” said Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve. “Her commitment and love for our organization are special and I’m excited to continue to be part of her incredible career.”
McBride, a five-time All-Star, will enter her sixth season in Minnesota after appearing in 39 games (all starts) for the Lynx last season. The guard averaged 14.21 points on 41.6% shooting from the floor and 39.5% shooting from deep, while also posting a career-high 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
McBride finished the season ranked second in the league in made three-pointers (103) and fourth in free-throw percentage (90.5%). Last season, McBride became the first player in WNBA history to record eight three-point baskets without a miss in a half during Minnesota’s 111-58 win over Las Vegas on Aug. 2, the largest margin of victory on the road in league history. During the contest, she tied her career-high and the franchise record for made threes while totaling 24 points on 8-of-10 (80.0%) shooting from deep, along with five assists, three steals and two rebounds, which earned her the first Western Conference Player of the Week honor of her career.
McBride helped Minnesota to a WNBA Finals appearance in 2024, along with capturing the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup Championship. She also led the Lynx to a franchise-best 34–10 regular season record and the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs. McBride has appeared in 37 career postseason games, including two trips to the WNBA Finals (2024, 2020), and holds career playoff averages of 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
The Erie, Pa. native signed with Minnesota ahead of the 2021 season after spending her first seven seasons in San Antonio and Las Vegas. She holds career averages of 14.4 points on 41.2% shooting from the field and 37.3% shooting from three, along with 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game over 12 seasons. McBride ranks among the top five in franchise history in free-throw percentage (89.7%), made three-pointers (399) and three-point attempts (1,055). She also ranks seventh all-time in the WNBA in made three-pointers (722) and 26th all-time in scoring (5,389).
The guard was selected third overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by San Antonio and was named to the All-Rookie Team after ranking third among rookies in scoring in her debut season. The Notre Dame standout led the Irish to three national championship game berths (2011, 2012 and 2014) and was named an All-American and ACC Player of the Year during her senior season.
WILLIAMS REMAINS WITH LYNX
The Minnesota Lynx announced the team has re-signed guard Courtney Williams. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
“Courtney has been such a special part of the Lynx for the last two seasons. The passion and joy she plays with elevates our team to great heights and we look forward to continuing our relationship in the coming years,” said Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve.
Williams, a two-time All-Star, will enter her third season with Minnesota after starting in all 44 games for the Lynx last season. The guard averaged 13.6 points on 42.8% shooting from the floor and 38.9% shooting from deep, along with 6.2 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. She finished the season ranked second in the WNBA in total assists (271) and assists per game, while also breaking her own franchise single-season assist record set in 2024.
The guard opened last season with 19 assists and zero turnovers across Minnesota’s first two games against the Dallas Wings (May 16) and Los Angeles Sparks (May 18), tying the highest assist total with zero turnovers over a two-game span in WNBA history (Sue Bird, 2009). She recorded nine 20+ point games and four games with 10+ assists, including a career-high 13 assists against New York on July 30.
The Folkston, Ga. native signed with Minnesota ahead of the 2024 season and has appeared in 18 postseason games with the Lynx, averaging 14.4 points on 42.5% shooting from the field and 36.7% shooting from three, along with 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Williams helped Minnesota to a WNBA Finals appearance in 2024, along with capturing the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup Championship. She also led the Lynx to a franchise-best 34–10 regular season record and the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.
Originally selected eighth overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, the 10-year veteran has made seven trips to the WNBA Playoffs across her career. Williams holds career averages of 12.2 points on 43.6% shooting from the floor and 37.4% shooting from three, along with 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game. A 2016 graduate of the University of South Florida, Williams left the program ranking first in single-season points after a 763-point performance in her senior year and second in career points (2,304).
HOWARD RETURNS
The Minnesota Lynx announced the team has signed forward Natasha Howard. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released. “We are happy to be bringing Tasha home to the Minnesota Lynx. She has earned some impressive accolades since her time with the Lynx, and we look forward to adding her versatile offensive skillset and defensive proficiency to our team,” said Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve.
Howard, a three-time WNBA Champion, returns to Minnesota after appearing in 44 games (all starts) for the Indiana Fever last season. The forward averaged 11.4 points on 55.3% shooting from the floor, along with 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, helping the Fever reach the WNBA Semifinals. In 2025, Howard recorded 14 games with 20+ points, including a season-high 26 points on 12-of-17 (70.6%) shooting from the floor against Atlanta on May 22, when she also added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win. She was named MVP of the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Championship after leading the Fever to their first-ever tournament title with a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double performance.
The forward won back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2017 and 2018 with Minnesota and the Seattle Storm, respectively. The 2018 title marked her first with Seattle, and she again won with the Storm in 2020, securing her third career championship. Howard holds playoff averages of 7.9 points on 49.7% shooting from the field and 4.5 rebounds per game across 61 postseason appearances.
The Toledo, Ohio native was selected fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by Indiana and was named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2018 after helping lead the Storm to a league-best record while posting then career-highs of 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.97 blocked shots and 1.29 steals per game. A year later, in 2019, Howard earned All-WNBA First Team honors and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year after recording a league-leading 74 steals while also finishing third in the WNBA in total blocked shots (59) and blocks per game (1.74). She was also named a WNBA All-Star in 2019 and 2022.
Howard graduated from Florida State University and finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,047) and double-doubles (41), while ranking second in career points (1,811) and third in blocks (186). She capped her senior season with the Seminoles averaging 20.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.1 steals per game.
COFFEY SIGNS
The Minnesota Lynx announced the team has signed forward Nia Coffey. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released. Coffey, a 6-1 forward, joins Minnesota after spending the last four seasons with Atlanta, appearing in all 44 games for the Dream last season. The forward averaged 3.4 points on 37.4% shooting from the floor, along with 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, helping the Dream to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs. Coffey’s top performance of the season came in an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double against Connecticut on May 25, as she also notched six double-digit scoring performances on the year.
The Minneapolis, Minn. native was selected fifth overall by San Antonio in the 2017 WNBA Draft. Coffey went on to help Atlanta to two playoff appearances (2024, 2025) and holds career averages of 4.8 points on 37.6% shooting from the floor, along with 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game across 261 games played.
Coffey most recently played with Valencia Basket in Spain’s LF Endesa and EuroLeague, where she averaged 7.9 points on 53.8% shooting from the floor and 3.6 rebounds per game in Spanish league action. The forward brings extensive overseas experience, having played in Australia (Adelaide Lightning), France (Charleville-Mézières), Israel (Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan and Maccabi Haifa), Poland (Gdynia) and Turkey (Mersin).
The forward graduated from Northwestern University in 2017 and became the first Wildcat to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds (fifth Big Ten player ever with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds). She concluded her collegiate career as Northwestern’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,183), free throws made (496) and consecutive double-digit scoring games (66), and also holds the program record for most rebounds in a single season (344).
TRAINING CAMP DEALS
The Minnesota Lynx announced the team has signed Emma Čechová, Antonia Delaere, Eliška Hamzová, Reigan Richardson and Jaylyn Sherrod to training camp contracts, along with Aubrey Griffin to a rookie scale contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Čechová, a 6-5 forward from the Czech Republic, joins Minnesota after most recently competing with ZVVZ USK Praha in the ZBL and EuroLeague. She averaged 12.8 points on 65.8% shooting from the field, along with 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in ZBL action this season. Čechová also represented the Czech Republic at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament, where she averaged 14.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, earning All-Star Five honors in the tournament while leading her team in points, rebounds and efficiency (18.0). She also competed in the 2025 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket, posting averages of 9.8 points, a team-leading 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Delaere, a 5-11 guard from Belgium, joins Minnesota after most recently competing with Emlak Konut in Turkey’s KBSL and EuroCup leagues. This season, Delaere averaged 8.4 points on 52.1% shooting from the floor and 46.9% shooting from three, along with 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game in Turkish league play, while adding 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest in EuroCup action. The Antwerp, Belgium native has appeared in two Olympic games, first at the Tokyo 2020 Games where she averaged 10.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game across four matches, and then at Paris 2024, posting 11.3 points, 4.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in six outings. A member of the Belgian National Team, Delaere helped lead Belgium to 2025 and 2023 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket titles and most recently posted 27 points on 10-of-16 (62.5%) shooting from the floor against China in the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
Griffin, a 6-1 guard/forward, will join the Lynx on a rookie-scale contract after being selected 37th overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by Minnesota. A 2025 NCAA National Champion, Griffin graduated from the University of Connecticut last year after helping the Huskies to four Final Four appearances. She averaged 7.8 points on 53.3% shooting from the field during her career in Storrs, adding 5.4 rebounds and 1.28 steals over 20.4 minutes per game in 126 contests played. The Ossining, N.Y. native was a 2023 All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention selection and totaled 986 points and 680 rebounds in her five seasons played in Connecticut. Griffin’s career-high came against Princeton in 2022 where she posted 29-point, 10-rebound double-double, shooting 11-of-11 from the floor and tying Rebecca Lobo’s record for most consecutive made field goals in a game.
Hamzová, a 6-0 guard from the Czech Republic, joins the Lynx after most recently competing for Basket Žabiny Brno in the ZBL, EuroLeague and EuroCup. She averaged 10.6 points on 51.9% shooting from the field, along with 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game across 22 ZBL contests this season. Hamzová also represented the Czech Republic at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament, averaging 7.0 points on 45.7% shooting from the field, along with 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She has additionally competed in the 2025 and 2023 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket tournaments and holds career averages of 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in Czech National Team play.
Richardson, a 5-11 guard, rejoins Minnesota after attending training camp with the team last season. Most recently, Richardson competed with Spar Gran Canaria in the Spanish LF Endesa, averaging 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The Charlotte, N.C. native graduated from Duke University in 2025 and started all 37 games for the Blue Devils in her senior season, helping lead the program to its first Elite Eight appearance since 2013. She averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 38.5% from the field and 30.6% from three during her senior campaign. Over the course of her collegiate career at Georgia (2021–22) and Duke (2022–25), Richardson totaled 1,174 points, 306 rebounds and 211 assists, while shooting 40.7% from the field and 76.7% from the free-throw line.
Sherrod, a 5-7 guard, rejoins the Lynx after signing with the team midseason last year. She came to Minnesota after appearing in 28 games over two seasons with the New York Liberty, including the franchise’s WNBA Championship run in 2024. Sherrod holds career averages of 1.4 points on 38.1% shooting from the field in 5.0 minutes per game. On June 22 against Seattle, she scored a season-high eight points to go along with three assists and two steals in 14 minutes of action. A Birmingham, Ala. native, Sherrod was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at the University of Colorado and earned AP All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2023-24. During her senior season, she averaged 12.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.15 steals across 34 starts, leading the Buffaloes to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
(info courtesy of Lynx)
