Basketball players tend to favor their dominant hand during their developmental stages within the sport. However, there are a few instances of players going against the grain. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is left-handed but uses his right as his shooting hand. Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is known for being a left-handed jump shooter. However, her brother claims she’s been using her non-dominant hand to shoot throughout her career.
Basketball runs in the family for Reese. Angel isn’t the only basketball star as her brother Julian is also pursuing a career in the sport. He is currently a senior for the Maryland Terrapins. The two siblings competed against each other every day in their driveway in 1-on-1 matchups. Although Angel is older, her brother claims she took inspiration from his shooting form.
In an interview with the NBA Future Starts Now, Julian shared, “We both shoot with our left hand. But she’s really right-handed, she just wanted to shoot like me so she switched to left-handed randomly,” said Julian.
Angel didn’t waste any time in calling her younger brother out. She cleared the air in a post to X stating, “Not you lying saying I switched hands cause I wanted to be like you.” Angel’s tone remained playful while silencing any noise critiquing her jump shot.
Julian’s comments about his sister’s shooting hand aren’t the first time theories have circulated regarding her jumper. In July, a user on X shared a theory to the platform revealing, “[Angel] didn’t like the way her shot looked with her right hand so she taught herself to shoot with her left.” The user highlighted Reese’s ambidextrous ability as a factor in her being able to make the adjustment.
For those wondering – Yes, Angel Reese is ambidextrous. The lore is that she didn’t like the way her shot looked with her right hand so she taught herself to shoot with her left
— Cy Is On BlueSky (@CyDieyi) July 16, 2024
Reese hasn’t provided a reason for her decision to favor her left hand. However, she’s been transparent about her dominant hand being her right. In a past post on X, she corrected a fan who complimented her on a three-pointer she made in LSU with her right hand.
Angel set records in her rookie season in the WNBA. However, one of the key areas of improvement in her game is her shooting ability. Her rookie season ended after the Sky forward injured her left wrist. As a result, it may force the Sky star to attempt a few more shots with her true dominant hand during recovery.