Kayla McBride says WNBA invitation was a 'half-ass' text
Minnesota Lynx star Kayla McBride says her WNBA invitation to the All-Star 3-point contest was a last-minute text to her agent, not an official ask. She called it a "half a--" invite and rejected reports she simply declined, joining Sabrina Ionescu in disputing the league's narrative.
Key Takeaways
- McBride said she got a text to her agent about 48 hours before speaking out, and called the Kayla McBride WNBA invitation unofficial.
- Ionescu, the reigning champion, said she never received an official invite and cannot have declined one.
- League sources had said McBride, Ionescu, and Caitlin Clark were invited and declined; Clark has not addressed it publicly.
- A WNBA spokesperson said the league typically contacts agents to gauge interest, and some players accept while others decline.
- The six announced contestants shoot Friday at 8 p.m. ET during All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
What did Kayla McBride say about the WNBA invitation?
On Wednesday, McBride used her Instagram Story to push back on speculation about why she is not in the field. She wrote that she received a "half a--" invite to the 3-point contest through her agent in a text "randomly 48 hours ago," and stressed it was "not officially."
McBride also rejected online chatter that she was "afraid of shooting smoke," saying fans should not believe claims they did not hear from her. The 34-year-old has entered three prior contests without a win and last competed in 2024. She is averaging 18.2 points through 28 games this season and shooting 39.8 percent from deep.
She asked fans to spotlight the shooters who are in: Portland's Bridget Carleton, Dallas's Azzi Fudd, Seattle's Natisha Hiedeman, Atlanta's Rhyne Howard, Toronto's Marina Mabrey, and Golden State's Janelle Salaün. "We should focus on the great shooters in it already," she posted, wishing them luck.
Why does Sabrina Ionescu's response matter too?
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, a two-time contest champion and the reigning winner, said Wednesday she was never officially invited to defend her title. "I can't decline an offer I never got officially invited to," she told reporters after the field was released Tuesday.
That clash with earlier reporting is the core of the story for celebrity breaking news watchers. League sources had told outlets that Ionescu, Clark, and McBride were invited and turned the event down. Ionescu said she was surprised by that framing and wanted the record corrected. Clark had not spoken publicly on the invite as of Wednesday.
Ionescu set a crossover-era mark with a 37-point final round in 2023 and is one of only two multi-time WNBA 3-point champions, alongside Allie Quigley. She was not voted an All-Star in 2026 after missing 12 of her first 13 games.
Who is in the contest, and what did the WNBA say?
According to ESPN, No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd will make her first pro 3-point appearance Friday in Chicago, joined by Howard, Mabrey, Carleton, Hiedeman, and Salaün. Mabrey leads the league with 82 threes; Howard has 79. Fudd is the fourth rookie ever in the event.
A WNBA spokesperson said the league's "general process is to reach out to agents to determine a player's interest, and some accept and some decline." The contest tips at 8 p.m. ET Friday with two timed rounds, money balls, and logo shots worth three points. Two first-round leaders advance to the final.
McBride's message and Ionescu's denial leave the invite process itself as the flashpoint—not the shooters already on the floor.