WNBA: “We don’t have enough sex appeal”

Lisa Leslie and Angel Reese recently discussed some methods aimed at making the WNBA more appealing on Thursday’s episode of the Unapologetically Angel podcast. The duo was talking about the ongoing debate about lowering the rim when Leslie highlighted how, during her era, the league proposed changing players’ uniforms to enhance their “sex appeal.”

As shocking as it may sound, the Los Angeles Sparks legend revealed that the WNBA once encouraged players to wear form-fitting “tights” while discouraging them from wearing loose or oversized clothing. According to Leslie, this was an attempt by the league to attract more viewers.

“They wanted us to play in tights … they wanted to change our uniform like talking about women, we like don’t have enough sex appeal in our clothes being so big,” Leslie revealed (19:41).

The discussion stemmed from the famous debate about whether the WNBA should lower the rims to encourage more dunks. While Angel Reese firmly opposed the idea, other notable figures in the basketball community continued to advocate for the change.

Shaquille O’Neal believes the WNBA should lower the rims

Shaquille O’Neal has long supported women’s basketball, often praising stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. However, he remains one of the most well-known advocates for lowering the rims in the WNBA, believing it would make the game more exciting.

O’Neal has repeatedly emphasized how thrilling it would be for fans to see more women dunk. During a 2021 episode of NBA on TNT, he told Candace Parker:

“Lower the rim so y’all can dunk like we dunk… That’ll give y’all more ‘oomph’ than you already have.”

Despite Parker and many others in the WNBA community pushing back against the idea, Shaq has stood firm in his stance. During his appearance on Angel Reese’s podcast in October 2024, he doubled down.

“A pretty girl dunking on the rim? I’m watching that all day… So I’m telling you, if you just lower it like this,” Shaq said.

The league has often ignored the idea of lowering the rim. Additionally, rising stars like Caitlin Clark are drawing more attention to the game, and the WNBA has already experienced an increase in viewership.

Edited by Ruth John S