In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green interviews former WNBA star Lisa Leslie about the systemic challenges faced by veteran women players in the WNBA. Green opens by praising the fundamental skill level of WNBA athletes and expressing confusion over why Leslie, the league’s first marquee star, has never been approached for a coaching role. Leslie explains that the league often pushes out its veterans, fearing they will eclipse emerging talent, and that there is a lack of a supportive “sorority” culture for former players. She recounts a personal anecdote where the Los Angeles Sparks prevented her from speaking to the team after a practice, despite her willingness to mentor. Leslie highlights successful models of veteran integration at the collegiate level, citing Dawn Staley’s community‑building at South Carolina, Geno Auriemma’s culture at UConn, and Tom Izzo’s brotherhood at Michigan State, arguing that similar community‑focused approaches are needed in the WNBA. Throughout, both speakers discuss the importance of building culture, supporting veterans, and the missed opportunities for growth in women’s basketball.
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What's up everybody? Welcome to the Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Make sure you hit that subscribe button. Make sure you like the post that you love, but you can get everything the Draymond Green Show right on our YouTube channel. So make sure you subscribe, check that out. Thank you. Number one, I think is absolutely insane that you've never been approached about coaching WNBA team. Those things to me doesn't make sense. You know, I have a strong appreciation for the WNBA because of the talent. Like I think the women in the WNBA are extremely talented. What I love the most is how fundamentally sound the WNBA is. I watch college basketball, some NBA basketball, and it baffles me that guys do not have basic fundamentals. And you just don't have that problem in the WNBA, at least, we can't see it. You know, like I'm sure if you're in a practice, you're like, man, this girl ain't got no fundamentals. But for the most part, like fundamentally sound.
Yeah.
But I think, and me and you have actually spoke about this a little bit before, I think some things that the WNBA do, they shoot themselves in the foot. This being one of them. Like why have you not been approached? The pioneer that you are in the WNBA, I think you're, you, I mean, I don't think. You are the first real star of the WNBA. And yet your first real star, you never go back and say, "Hey, like, do you wanna come back and coach? Like, so we can have you so close to this league because of what you know, you've seen it from the very beginning. You know all of these things. We can have you so close to this league." It's things like that, that when it comes to the WNBA, I don't understand those things. Like, you're not helping yourself in all the ways that you can help yourself. That to me is baffling.
Well, I'm gonna be really honest with you 'cause I don't think I've ever really articulated this publicly, but I do believe that we get it wrong when it comes to the veterans of the WNBA. All of us, not just me, you know, Swoopes, Cooper, you know, we can make a whole list 'cause there's obviously a laundry list of us, but we don't get it right. And for whatever reason, and I don't know if it's a women's thing, I'm not sure, but we get pushed out because they're like, well, if you're here taking up the spotlight, people can't see the next ones coming. However, I'm like, well, the NBA have like 75, 100, like great players that come and support. And it's like a, it's a fraternity, right?
Absolutely. And—
Absolutely. We don't create a sorority. And I'll tell you that from the sparks, that behind-the-scenes conversations, the WNBA, I have tried. Trust me. So it's not like I haven't tried. It's not like I haven't reached out. It's not like— even when I was in LA, I'm like, if there's anything that I can do. I wasn't even trying to be paid to help.
Mm-hmm.
But it was just one of those things where I was like, you know what? This is my last time I'm gonna like really put myself out there to try to help. And then I'm done. And that's when I was like, I'm done. I'll go coach. I can coach in the Big 3. But I wasn't even trying to do it like, it wasn't even like a money thing. Really just trying to help and lend my services like you're saying, like to think about growing the game, to be able to give back. I saw that the attendance was dropping off. You know, things like that. And so it's not that I didn't think of it or try, but I'm sure a lot of the women who are veterans of the league feel that way. And we could do a much better job as a whole of finding ways to support veteran women players, bringing them back. And I'll kid you not, I'll tell you one story. I went to go watch a practice and I was like, "Oh, and you can let them know if they want me to talk to the players." Mm-hmm. Right? I will go after the practice and I'll talk to the players if they want. Draymond, when I tell you, I mean, I was like, oh, okay. I mean, I don't know. I'm just saying of service. I'm not saying to be there to like, oh, you know, I'm like, so it's like, this is what I did. Like, that's not even my personality.
Mm-hmm.
But if there's some words that I can give you to motivate you to like come out Work hard, like man the paint, like you guys need to crash the boards, whatever it is, like whatever was in that moment, I would've given it to that team just because I'm a Spark for life. Like, I'm not just visiting y'all. Like, I really care about what happens with the Purple and Gold. And they were like, no, that's okay. No, he or she didn't want you to say anything. I'm like, not a problem.
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And I'll leave it at that. Like, that's it. So I just say that to you not to be like a hater on the outside, but I, but, but to confirm with you, we need to do a better job as not just the league, but also individual teams of how they support their veterans and bringing them back to be a part of it. And I'll tell you two programs that do an excellent job of it. Dawn Staley does an excellent job with South Carolina in connecting her players to her other players and just creating a community that supports one another. And Gina Auriemma does a very good job at UConn that you see their returning players coming back, 30, 40 players. That is how you build that type of chemistry. It's a culture. And I tried to even, I'm glad that we're starting to see that back with USC, 'cause we had those problems before in the past. We have a new coach and Juju is doing so amazing. I'm so proud of her. And you're starting to see other Trojans come back and support. And that's what it's about. Like, if we're not building community and we're not pouring into one another, like, what are we really doing? I don't know. So it's bigger than basketball to me, but we haven't completely figured that out. And I hope that we can do a better job of that in the future because I love our Sparks. I love our Sparks fans. Like every time I'm there, the people are so amazing that the ushers, like I hug and so, you know, I just see people that you really care about. And it's just unfortunate that I didn't have that opportunity to do that because I would have.
Absolutely. No, 100%. And by the way, and saying that, and that's why it's no surprise that Dawn is having the success that she's having year after year at South Carolina. And that Geno has had the success that he's had over the 30 years or whatever it's been that he's been at UConn.
I think— Yeah.
That was one of the reasons I actually went to Michigan State is because Tom Izzo creates a brotherhood. He creates a family. And I'm like, oh, I get to be a part of this family? Like, it was kind of down to them in Michigan. And I didn't feel like Michigan basketball was a family. But when you look back at it, they weren't. You see how— they did Chris Webber. You know, you see how they kind of outcast the Fab Five. Like, yeah, they had their issues, whatever. But what they did for that program to not honor them. I mean, we're, it's 2024, 2023, and it takes Jim Harbaugh to bring Chris Webber back. Like— Right.
That's crazy.
It doesn't make sense to me, you know? And so it's no surprise that those teams have that type of, Essentially the pedigree that they have in the history because they're doing it that way.
