"You guys are targeting the wrong people": When Lisa Leslie made her WNBA feelings known to LeBron James and Draymond Green

Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie sat down with NBA stars LeBron James and Draymond Green, among others, to discuss and debate support for the WNBA.

In episode seven of the fifth season of "The Shop," which aired in October 2022, Leslie, a three-time league MVP, was asked by James about helping the WNBA.

"I don't think there's anyone in America that supports the WNBA more than NBA players," Green, a four-time champion, said (Timestamp: 39:49). "The NBA players support the WNBA players more than we probably support the f***ing NBA."

Leslie agreed with Green's statement and added that she believes that the WNBA should focus more on its existing connections. She referenced the time when James wore WNBA's orange hoodie during the 2020 NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, where James' LA Lakers were crowned champions.

"When LeBron wore that orange hoodie, I told them, that hoodie was just sitting there with the logo on it," Leslie said. "When he wore that hoodie, it went viral."

James nodded in agreement to Leslie and echoed that they encountered difficulties in getting a hold of those jackets.

"We went to rings to get that s**t down to the bubble, though," James replied. "They would not send us those hoodies."

Further, Leslie said that NBA players are the "No. 1 allies" of the women's league and the WNBA should focus more on these stars (Timestamp: 39:00):

"I explained to them that our No. 1 allies that have supported us from Day 1 are the NBA players. I said they tweet, they follow us, they come to our games — we don't highlight them. They are our No. 1 ally. They have the most followers. You guys are targeting the wrong people."

Lisa Leslie advocated for WNBA players to be paid more

Lisa Leslie also touched on the glaring issue of WNBA players being paid significantly less than their male counterparts in the NBA.

NBA players watching a WNBA game in June 2024 (Image Source: Getty)

LeBron James asked Leslie what one thing she thought could help the women's league. Leslie responded that the league is growing, but there is still a difference in salaries.

"What could we have more? From a salary standpoint, it'd be great for the women to be able to make more money," Leslie said (Timestamp: 39:05). "It's a lot of work — it's a lot of hard work. I think I saw something that said one player that makes maybe $12 million on an NBA team can cover the whole WNBA's salaries. That's kind of crazy."

"The Shop" is a talk show that was initially shown on HBO. Its fifth season, which aired in 2022, moved to YouTube. In 2024, the show had already aired seven seasons and 41 episodes. It features discussions in various barbershops with professional sports icons and entertainment personalities.

Leslie was also joined by NBA forward PJ Tucker, marketing executive Paul Rivera and entrepreneur Maverick Carter. The support for the WNBA is just one of the things they talked about on the show, which lists James as one of its executive producers.