Kiara Leslie Secures Training Camp Contract with Minnesota Lynx
The eyes of the WNBA are on Nashville as Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball progresses into Week Two, and the list of free-agency signees among AU athletes continues to grow. Kiara Leslie is the latest name to be connected with a new WNBA opportunity, as the 29-year-old guard has secured a training camp contract with the Minnesota Lynx.
Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve was among the Week One spectators, along with Jasmine Thomas and Curt Miller of the Dallas Wings, Ilene Hauser of the Los Angeles Sparks, and members of the Seattle Storm.
Leslie, who previously spent two seasons with the Washington Mystics in 2020 and 2021, made a splash for Team Colson in Week One with an average of 9.3 points and 2.3 assists per game. She scored a season-high 12 points on Friday in her team’s matchup versus Team Westbrook.
The North Carolina State grad was selected tenth overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft after a standout career with the Wolfpack. Leslie began her collegiate career at Maryland before transferring to NC State in 2017, where she started in all 34 games as a grad student and led the team with 541 points while averaging 15.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot guard earned AP All-American and WBCA Coaches All-American Honorable Mentions, and a WBCA All-American Regional Finalist nod, as well as First Team All-ACC and All-ACC Defensive Team honors for her 2018-19 campaign in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In Washington, Leslie made 28 appearances for the Mystics and averaged 5.5 points and 3 rebounds per game in 2020. She has most recently appeared on the court for Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico’s BNSF League.
Leslie was drafted onto Team Bradford for Week Two of AU Pro Basketball in Nashville and is set to take the court on Friday versus Team Nurse and Team Siegrist on Saturday.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
Related Articles
