Welcome to a new Lynx Offseason Update! And this isn’t just a normal update, it’s Lynx Offseason Update: We Will Actually Have a WNBA Season edition!
Since we last checked in with you, the WNBA and players’ union finally agreed to terms of a new, historic Collective Bargaining Agreement, resulting in the upcoming WNBA season taking place as planned. Which means the next month will be complete chaos.
But for multiple Minnesota Lynx players, the offseason has continued — and already ended for a few — for players worldwide
as they prepare for the upcoming WNBA season. underway in Istanbul.
This offseason, there are 12 Lynx players playing across the globe, those players being Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Natisha Hiedeman, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carlton, Jessica Shepard, Maia Hirsch, Dorka Juhász, Maria Kliundikova, Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, Camryn Taylor and Jaylyn Sherrod. Napheesa Collier, who was supposed to take part in Unrivaled, missed the season due to having surgery on both ankles.
Let’s take a look at where those Lynx players are playing, how they’ve done as of late, how they are performing so far this offseason or how they finished their offseason.
Alanna Smith — Mist (Unrivaled), Australia (World Cup Qualfying)
Smith began her offseason playing in Unrivaled, where she helped the Mist take home the Unrivaled championship. Now with that season over, she is now returning to represent her home country of Australia in World Cup Qualifying action in Istanbul.
In Qualifying play, Smith helped her squad to a perfect 5-0 record, which led Australia to the top finish in Istanbul while earning a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany in September.
Season Stats:
- World Cup Qualifying: 5 games — 11.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG
- Unrivaled: 14 games — 9.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.8 BPG, 0.5 SPG
Recent Games:
- March 17 vs. Canada (82-76 win): 12 points (5-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), eight rebounds, three assists and two steals over 27 minutes
Kayla McBride — Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
McBride is back at her second home in Turkey while returning to play for Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe. Though some expected her to return to play in Unrivaled this offseason, McBride chose to start the offseason overseas with a team that is special to her.
McBride began her season overseas strong, providing a two-way showing for the Turkish powerhouse. Since she last took the court in early March, McBride has returned to the states and has been working out at the Lynx facility over the past few weeks. It’s not known at this time whether or not she plans to return to Turkey or will remain in the country leading up to the WNBA season.
Season Stats:
- Turkey-KBSL: 16 games — 13.0 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.2 RPG, 0.9 SPG
- EuroLeague: 10 games — 14.1 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG
Recent Games:in
- March 3 vs. Kayseri (95-59 win): seven points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3Pt), three assists and one rebound over 13 minutes
Bridget Carleton — USK Praha (Czech Republic), Canada (World Cup Qualifying)
Carleton has spent her offseason with USK Praha in the Czech Republic this offseason, but she is currently representing her home country of Canada during the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul.
Carleton and Canada concluded World Cup Qualifying action with a 2-3 record, failing to qualify for the 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup in September. Right after that, Carleton jumped right back into Czech Republic-ZBL action with USK Praha
Season Stats:
- World Cup Qualifying: 5 games — 13.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG
- Czech Republic-ZBL: 13 games — 11.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
- EuroLeague: 11 games — 12.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Recent Games:
- March 17 vs. Australia (82-76 loss): 17 points (7-14 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four rebounds, one assist and one steal over 39 minutes
- March 21 vs. Brandys (113-63 win): seven points (3-5 FG, 1-1 3Pt) and one steal over seven minutes
Jessica Shepard — Famila Schio (Italy)
Shepard is in a new country this offseason after spending last offseason in Greece, taking the court with Italian power Famila Schio. She has played in Greece, Israel and Italy so far in her career.
Shepard has put up some impressive numbers in Italy this offseason, once again being a double-double machine like we’ve been accustomed to seeing. Over the past week, Shepard had a near and Famila Schio didn’t take part in any games.
Season Stats:
- Italy-Serie A1: 18 games — 17.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG
- EuroLeague: 15 games — 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG
Recent Games:
- Feb. 28 vs. San Giovanni (79-54 win): nine points (4-8 FG), 15 rebounds and four assists over 29 minutes
- March 3 vs. Venezia (62-51 loss): 16 points (8-13 FG), 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals over 37 minutes
Maria Kliundikova — UMMC Ekateringburg (Russia)
Kliundiokva, who was a midseason arrival for Minnesota and ended up with a nice role off the bench for the Lynx, is back in her home country of Russia this offseason playing for UMMC Ekateringburg alongside soon-to-be second-year Lynx forward Anastasiia Olairi Kosu.
Kliundikova has put together a balanced offseason so far, helping her squad offensively and on the boards while also impacting other areas of the game. Over the past week, Kliundikova and UMMC Ekateringburg returned to action, with Kliundikova dropping her second double-double in the last three games.
Season Stats:
- Russia-PBL: 22 games — 12.3 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Recent Games:
- March 21 vs. Enisey (74-52 win): 16 points (7-12 FG), 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block over 16 minutes
Dorka Juhász — Galatasaray (Turkey), Hungary (World Cup Qualifying)
Juhász has spent her WNBA offseason playing for Galatasaray in Turkey, but she has taken a break from that to represent her home country of Hungary in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul.
Juhász led Hungary to a 3-2 record in World Cup Qualifying play, resulting in Hungary qualifying for the 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany this September. Along with the, Juhász was also named to the All-Star Five in Istanbul.
Season Stats:
- World Cup Qualifying: 5 games — 18.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG
- Turkey-KBSL: 14 games — 11.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG
- EuroLeague: 17 games — 13.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Recent Games:
- March 17 vs. Turkey (89-74 win): 24 points (9-18 FG, 2-5 3Pt), nine rebounds, five assists and two steals over 34 minutes
Anastasiia Olairi Kosu — UMMC Ekateringburg (Russia)
Kosu is back home in Russia this offseason, playing with fellow Lynx teammate Maria Kliundikova with UMMC Ekateringburg.
Kosu, who Minnesota is hoping continues to develop leading into her second WNBA campaign, has gotten off to a nice start in Russia this offseason. Over the past week, Kosu and UMMC Ekateringburg returned to action, with Kosu nearing double figures in scoring.
Season Stats:
- Russia-PBL: 19 games — 10.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 BPG
Recent Games:
- March 21 vs. Enisey (74-52 win): eight points (3-7 FG), five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block over 15 minutes
Maia Hirsch — Charleville-Mezieres (France)
We have yet to see Hirsch in the WNBA after being drafted by the Lynx in the first round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, but she continues to play in France this offseason as she continues to develop.
After an up-and-down offseason last year, Hirsch is off to a nice start to this offseason with some additional time on the floor as well. Over the past week, Hirsch and Charleville-Mezieres didn’t take part in any action.
Season Stats:
- Franco-BWL: 17 games — 7.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.2 BPG, 0.2 SPG
- EuroLeague: 10 games — 5.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Recent Games:
- March 7 vs. Basket Landes (68-59 loss): no points (0-1 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and two assists over six minutes
Camryn Taylor — Landerneau (France)
Taylor, who joined the Lynx late in the 2025 WNBA season and was part of the playoff run, has moved from Greece last offseason to France and Landerneau Bretagne Basket this year.
Taylor had a slow start to the offseason schedule, but has picked things up as of late with two straight double-digit outings. Over the past week, Taylor and Landerneau didn’t take part in any games.
Season Stats:
- France-BWL: 9 games — 5.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 APG, 0.1 BPG
Recent Games:
- March 7 vs. Monpellier (65-59 win): four points (2-2 FG) and three rebounds over eight minutes
Currently Not in Action
Courtney Williams — Breeze (Unrivaled)
Williams returned to Unrivaled for the second season after being one of the first 32 players to make up the inaugural season a year ago. After spending last season with the Lunar Owls, Williams began the 2026 season with Vinyl before she was traded to Breeze.
This season, Williams did a nice job in distributing and contributing on the boards despite having a bit of an up-and-down start to the year offensively. She took part in 14 games, contributing in numerous areas of the game.
Season Stats:
- Unrivaled: 14 games — 7.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Natisha Hiedeman — Hive (Unrivaled)
Hiedeman returned to Unrivaled for the second straight season after bouncing around to three different teams — Phantom, Laces and Rose — during the inaugural season. Hiedeman concluded the year with Rose and helped them to an Unrivaled Championship.
With Hive, one of the two newest teams to Unrivaled in 2026, Hiedeman contributed coming off the bench and took part in 12 games with Hive.
Season Stats:
- Unrivaled: 12 games — 6.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Jaylyn Sherrod — Rhythm (Athletes Unlimited)
Sherrod spent her offseason staying in the country this offseason, taking part in Athletes Unlimited’s fifth season, which began earlier this February and concluded after four weeks in Nashville.
Sherrod was one of 40 players participating in the fast-paced, full-court, 5-on-5 league this season, finishing just under double figures in scoring on the season.
Season Stats:
- Athletes Unlimited: 12 games — 9.2 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1.3 SPG
That will do it for this week. As always, thank you for reading! We will catch up with you next week with another Lynx Offseason Update.
