Those who hadn’t heard of Lynx guard Lexie Brown likely got to know her name after she went viral last month.
In a video clip tweeted by Bleacher Report that has been viewed almost 2.5 million times, Brown can be seen getting buckets against former Division II basketball player Darius Moore in a game of one-on-one.
The rules were simple: All baskets were worth one point, only four dribbles were allowed per possession, and the first person to seven points won. In the end, Brown walked away with a 7-6 victory; Moore walked away with tons of haters on social media.
A former DII hooper thought he could take on WNBA player and daughter of Dee Brown, Lexie Brown…
She gave him BUCKETS (via @thehoopstate) pic.twitter.com/iWb5GRE4V7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2019
“Oh my gosh,” Brown said with a laugh. “That video was not even supposed to be like that. Everyone tried to make it like a gender thing. It was really just supposed to be a fun video.”
It was actually the first installment in a series produced by The Hoop State Network. And to be fair to Moore, he isn’t one of those keyboard warriors who talk trash about the WNBA on social media.
“I felt terrible,” Brown said. “He’s actually an advocate for us and he got thrown to the wolves.”
It wasn’t all bad.
In the midst of all the vitriol on social media, the video itself helped spread awareness about the WNBA as a whole.
“I got, like, 30,000 followers on Instagram from it, so that was cool,” Brown said. “As much as people were being mean to him and stuff there were a lot of people that were also like, ‘Oh, I’m a Lynx fan now.’ I guess whatever attention I can bring to our team and what we do here is cool with me.”
Regardless of her newfound fame, Brown is eager to prove she’s more than a viral video star.
Acquired by the Lynx from the Connecticut Sun during last month’s WNBA Draft, the 24-year-old guard out of Duke has welcomed the change of scenery. Brown played sparingly as a rookie last season, averaging 1.7 points in 5.6 minutes per game.
“I didn’t really get to embrace the WNBA like I wanted to last season because there were so many things I was trying to figure out for myself,” Brown said. “It was always like, ‘How do I get on the court more?’ or ‘What am I doing wrong?’ It was a lot for me to handle.”
Those struggles were exacerbated by the fact that Brown is a self-described perfectionist. That fatalist mindset caused one bad game to turn into two, and it snowballed from there.
“I always have the same problem,” Brown said. “I get really excited and have all these expectations for myself and I’m really hard on myself. I think as I get more comfortable I’m going to be able to let things go. That’s something I’ve been struggling with since I’ve been little. I’ve gotten so much better at it, so I just need to keep improving.”
Her role with the Lynx should help matters.
Instead of being relied upon to be the go-to scorer, Brown will serve as a spark plug off the bench, using her three-point shooting prowess to her advantage.
“I think the sixth man or the seventh man are some of the most important players on a team,” Brown said. “They can elevate a team when they’re rolling or they can pick a team up when they’re struggling. That’s a role that I’ve never really been in. I’m really excited to embrace it.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise from Brown so far in her role is how much coach Cheryl Reeve has stressed shooting open three-pointers.
“I’ve never been told to shoot more ever in my life,” Brown said with a laugh. “I’ve taken some shots and missed in practice and there still hasn’t really been a moment where they’ve been like, ‘Don’t shoot that.’ It’s been really nice to have that and know they have so much confidence in me. I hope that I can bring a consistent three-point threat to this team.”
No matter what happens, Brown already feels like she is in a better place compared to last season.
“It was tough,” Brown said. ” I really had to sit back and remember the position I was in. Just getting to the WNBA is so hard, so every day I had to wake up and realize I was in the WNBA and be grateful for the opportunity. It was a great experience at the end of the day because I learned a lot. That said, I think this is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.”
LARKINS RELEASED
The Lynx waived forward Erlana Larkins on Wednesday. A nine-year WNBA veteran, she signed with the Lynx on Feb. 29.
