LA Sparks Legend Trains Angel Reese

Despite a rough 0-3 start to the 2025 WNBA season, Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are focused on looking forward, utilizing a 'day-by-day' oriented mindset.
Its latest loss came in double-digit fashion on Sunday, a 91-78 defeat at Crypto.com Arena, to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Angel Reese: “We’re not happy obviously, we’re not satisfied at all … we’re hungry for a win.” pic.twitter.com/75FHk6g0I3
— Ben Geffner (@BenGeffner) May 26, 2025
Following the loss, star forward Angel Reese spoke about her mentorship with Sparks' Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie — whose No. 9 jersey was retired in 2010, one of two current LA players in the rafters.
Leslie frequently trained with Reese this past offseason, most notably seen during Reese's time playing in the Unrivaled Basketball League. The Sparks' legend continues to serve as a primary mentor to Reese entering her second WNBA campaign in 2025.
"When you look at what happened with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark in college, you know it was like the explosion that we needed," Leslie recently said on Locked On Women's Basketball.
Lisa Leslie gives Angel Reese advice ahead of her sophomore season:
— Angel And Kamilla👯♀️ (@AngelAndKamilla) February 13, 2025
“The biggest advice I have for you is going to be how you shoot your lay-ups. We’re going to fix that - it’s fixable for you. You’re going to get better, and I can help you get better.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/cqapgte0MF
"[In] season two, I can't wait to work with you some more," Leslie said earlier this year on Reese's podcast, Unapologetically Angel. "The biggest advice I have for you is going to be how you shoot your lay-ups.
"We’re going to fix that - it’s fixable for you. You’re going to get better, and I can help you get better," Leslie continued.
Reese echoed Leslie's tangible impact on her basketball career after Sunday's loss.
"I think just being able to have somebody in my back pocket is always good," Reese said postgame.
More Sparks news:
A'ja Wilson Speaks Out on Losing Kelsey Plum to Sparks
Sparks' Kelsey Plum Reacts to Georgia Amoore's ACL Injury
International Legend Reveals Reason For Rejoining LA
Sparks Waive Two Players Ahead of 2025 Season
Sparks’ Cameron Brink Revisits Feeling After Tearing ACL
For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Sparks, visit Los Angeles Sparks on SI.

Ben Geffner is an award-winning sports journalist and current student at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. A greater Los Angeles native now with countless years of extensive and dedicated experience — including beat reporting, writing, play-by-play broadcast, television anchoring, podcasting and video production — Ben remains eager to contribute as credentialed media covering the LA Sparks.
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