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Lisa Leslie Vows to Fix Angel Reese's Layup Shooting Struggles for WNBA

WNBA legend Lisa Leslie asserted that she's going to help Angel Reese improve her struggles with making layups.

Grant Young

Lisa Leslie waves to the crowd during the 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Series game on November 4, 2024.
Lisa Leslie waves to the crowd during the 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Series game on November 4, 2024. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Back in January, a video of Chicago Sky superstar Angel Reese getting work in with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and Minnesota Lynx standout Napheesa Collier at Unrivaled got a ton of attention.

The video (which was posted by Unrivaled's social media account) shows Reese and Collier putting up a plethora of jump shots together. Right after that, Leslie — who is arguably the best post player in women's basketball history — could be seen showing Reese and Collier some post moves.

Reese and Leslie have cultivated a good relationship with each other. So much so, that Leslie was the most recent guest on Reese's Unapologetically Angel show, which was released on February 13.

At one point in their discussion, Leslie opened up about helping Reese solve her struggles with finishing layups, which has been a common criticism of the rookie across her professional career.

"I can't wait to work with you some more. The biggest advice I have for you is going to be how you shoot your layups," Leslie said when Reese asked her what advice she has for her, heading into her second season.

"We’re going to fix that. That’s fixable for you."

Leslie later added, "The idea that you want to get better, I love that. And again, I didn't know you well, just talking to you and just giving you some love. But now, hearing you like 'Yes, I want to learn. I want to work hard. I want to be better.' Like that is just, my heart melted. Because I'm like 'Wow'.

"It could be just like okay, come in here, maybe she's serious, maybe she's not. But for me to hear from you and see that you're like, 'Yes, I want you to work with me. I want you to help me, I want to get better', that's what it's about," Leslie continued.

"The fact that you already have that attitude, you're going to get better. And I can help you get better. I'm positive," she concluded.

If and when Reese becomes more efficient with her layup shooting, she's going to be a nearly impossible problem for opposing teams to solve.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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