Lehning was raised in the town of Sublette, Kansas, a small town of less than 2000 that afforded its residents few of the luxuries common in larger cities. She learned a lot of valuable lessons while there—one of these was that she “had to be hardworking.” Since Lehning always wanted to play basketball, this meant lots of practice. She began playing at age 3 and eventually got to be quite good at it. So good, in fact, that she averaged 30.6 points, 15 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 5.3 steals a game as a senior. Her high school team didn’t lose a game for two years in the process. When she attended college at Kansas State, more than half the town would make the 5-hour trip to Manhattan to watch her play. Her success on the court continued as she led the Wildcats to a Women’s NIT championship, a Big 12 title, and two NCAA Tournament appearances during her time there. From there, she was selected in the second round of the 2009 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream.
There have been many lessons Lehning has learned as a rookie in the WNBA. One of these is the speed of the pro women’s game—every night, she’s up against the best of the best. This hasn’t translated into a perfect record for the Dream, but has shown that they “have to build team chemistry.” To that end, this is a team that is going to give it all until the final horn sounds. A case in point was a recent game against the Chicago Sky where the Dream fell behind by double digits in the final quarter. When most teams would give up and wait for the clock to run out, the Dream were able to tie the game and force it into overtime. To this end, Lehning noted that the Dream can be described as relentless, committed, and hard-working.
Her contributions on the court are starting to pay off as she adjusts to the speed of the game and continues to get better. Currently, she’s second on the team in assists (2.2 per game). As a point guard, Lehning told me that she models her game after Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns. She’s watched hours of film on him, noting that his style is to pass first, shoot second, and keep defenses honest. In addition, he’s found ways to make defenses better, sacrificing his own game in the process.
I asked Lehning if there was any significance to the number 5 that she wears on the court. It was a question she was eager to answer. In high school, she wore number 13, but she changed to number 5 in college because five people play on the court at one time but play as a team instead of individuals. One person cannot do everything by themselves. Lehning said that she wants to be a team player and get everyone involved—whether that means dishing out assists, scoring points, taking charges, or being a good teammate on the bench. In today’s world of star-obsessed players, such comments are both refreshing and inspiring.
However passionate Lehning is on the basketball court, her excitement increases when she talks about her faith in Jesus. She notes, “I love it when I get to speak about how much the Lord has guided me on this journey.” Being a professional athlete provides Lehning an incredible platform from which to shine her light—especially in her role as point guard. I asked her how being a point guard is comparable to living a life of faith. Although it involves lots of pressure (she admits that it’s been overwhelming for her so far), it’s also about perseverance, learning, taking what you receive, and doing something with what you have. Just as the point guard has complete control over the direction of all the other players on the court, we have similar control when it comes to reading the Bible, praying, and telling others about Jesus. We may not be able to control the final outcome of the game, but we do need to live and learn along the way.
Two of her favorite passages from the Bible are from Colossians 3:23 (Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men) and Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight).
When she’s not leading her team to victory, she does find time to read. Three of Lehning’s favorite books are Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.
Lehning wants to play professionally for as long as she can and possibly pursue coaching later on. But for now, her job is to help her team improve daily and win a championship. More importantly, it’s to be a light on a hill for people to see. She looks at it this way: “Two eyes have never seen me play each time I step on the court . . . how am I going to react?” Her life, then, provides a great opportunity to share God’s love with people. “I don’t want anyone ever second-guessing me as to what I do [because of my attitude and reaction to others].”
Words only a team player could say.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
This is one amazing person.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
If anyone wants to see Shalee in action (outside of going to a game directly), you can sign up for NBA AllAccess and watch the games for FREE. You do have to register, but that’s it.
The link is http://www.nba.com/allaccess