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Kayla McBride's Emotional Statement After Crushing Game 4 Loss vs Mercury

Minnesota Lynx star Kayla McBride had an emotional reaction to the team's heartbreaking season-ending Game 4 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday

Will Despart

Sep 21, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) looks on against the Phoenix Mercury in the second half during game one of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) looks on against the Phoenix Mercury in the second half during game one of the second round for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx saw their season end with an 86-81 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, marking a heartbreaking finish to a season where the franchise won the most regular-season games in WNBA history and spent much of the season as a significant odds-on favorite to win the title.

The Lynx were without star player and MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier, who re-injured the same ankle that cost her the league's most prestigious award when she initially sprained it in April. They were also without coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended after a viral on-court tirade that extended all the way to what can only be described as harsh comments toward the league postgame.

With the Lynx missing arguably their two most important pieces, the question was who was going to step up in their absence. It was none other than veteran Kayla McBride, who drained six 3-pointers on her way to a 31-point outburst. Unfortunately, McBride's performance wasn't enough to carry Minnesota to a victory that would have extended its season.

McBride's Reaction

McBride had an emotional reaction to the loss in the postgame press conference, explaining that the reason the loss was so painful was because of who she was sharing that heartbreak with.

“It's the people," McBride said. "It's the people that I go to work with every day. And you know, I've been here five years, and to be like so close, and you just, you just want it for the people around you.

"You want it for the people that grind with you every single day, the good days, bad days, bus rides, locker room, like in pro sports, it doesn't, it doesn't get as good. It doesn't get any better than what we have in our locker room. And that's why, because we lay it out for each other.”

McBride continued further, giving credit to her opponents while diving deeper into the heartbreaking nature of the loss and the fact that a team she has grown to love so much fell short at a point in time that many believed belonged to them.

"When it's like that every day, it builds up," McBride continued. "To be close two years in a row and hit adverse situations each and every time, for the people that you love, your sisters, your family, s--t f-----g hurts. It's hard, especially when you lay everything out there. As a vet and as somebody who's older, you know, I just, I feel for I feel everything, because I just care about people around me.

"I've always been like that. It's how I move, it's how I've always moved in this league, and I just care. So, you know, I think Phoenix played a hell of a game, a hell of a series. They did what they had to do, and it's tough. But I wouldn't trade that locker room for anything. I would feel like this 100 times over to be with the people that I've been with. So that's why it's painful, because you just want it to keep going."

Related Articles

• Fever, Aces Coaches Defend Cheryl Reeve After WNBA Suspension

• Lynx-Mercury Game 4 Injury Report: Napheesa Collier, DiJonai Carrington Statuses

• WNBA Fans React to Cheryl Reeve's Controversial Suspension for Lynx-Mercury Game 4

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Will Despart
WILL DESPART

Will Despart is a Las Vegas-based sportswriter who covers the NBA for OnSI. He also writes for Ballislife and handles multiple beats for The Sporting Tribune, including the Las Vegas Aces and Las Vegas Raiders. His reporting has been featured in newspapers across the country through the Field Level Media news wire.

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