Kayla McBride is the rare veteran who is thrilled to be stuck in the middle of the training camp grind.
"It's fun to be here,'' she said.
This is a novelty. McBride is the oldest player on the Lynx roster; she'll turn 31 June 25. She's about to enter her 10th WNBA season. But this is the first time in at least six years that she has actually taken part in a training camp practice.
Playing in Europe always got in the way of that.
After signing her three-year contract with the Lynx in 2021, McBride arrived in Minneapolis the day before the regular season began. Last year she missed the first four games, flying directly from Europe to Los Angeles to meet a team that had started the season 0-4. The nonstop nature of her basketball life had McBride feeling worn down at the end of the 2022 season.
Not this time. McBride played for Fenerbahce in Turkey, a dream team that included Breanna Stewart, Natasha Howard and Courtney Vandersloot that cruised to Euroleague and Turkish league titles. But that season ended in time for McBride to get back to the states, take the first week of Lynx camp off to rest, then jump in and start to mesh with a roster that has seen significant changes.
"Being able to sleep in my own bed before I play a game? Amazing,'' she said. "I was able to rest. I was able to go home and see my brother graduate from college. It was so refreshing. And then I came here. I wasn't just hopping off a plane and playing. I'm able to be here, get to know the team. Diamond [Miller], Tiffany [Mitchell]. Just being on the court and being able to work through things, it means a lot.''
McBride's two seasons with the Lynx have been a study in steady play. She has averaged 13.5 points, made 42% of her shots overall and shot 36.9% on three-pointers.