Jason Sudeikis had some uplifting pointers for WNBA players ahead of the Game 5 finals — delivered in his signature Southern drawl as Ted Lasso.
Sitting on ESPN’s panel ahead of the match-up between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, commentator Carolyn Peck asked the Emmy winner if he had any tips for the athletes in the vein of his beloved soccer coach character: “Give me your best Ted Lasso quote, statement that you would give to the New York Liberty,” she prompted.
“Hey,” Sudeikis began, adopting the laconic, quippy speech emblematic of the cheerful leader. “Shot layups. Don’t let ’em shoot layups. That simple. Let’s go ladies. Let’s cook.”
Pretty much what audiences would expect from the good-natured straight-shooter.
Sudeikis has long been a fan of Liberty, being pictured courtside at games throughout the year. In August, Sudeikis attended a matchup of the team’s against the visiting Dallas Wings, channeling Ted Lasso then by dancing along to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” which was featured in a Season 2 episode.
Going into overtime, Liberty took its first WNBA title, with a final score of 67-62.
As reported exclusively by Deadline previously, Ted Lasso saw a major step forward in the greenlighting of Season 4 as cast members Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift had their options picked up by the show’s studio, Warner Bros. Television. In the latest update toward a new installment of the popular Apple TV+ comedy, WBTV boss Channing Dungey hinted that the studio and producers may be looking at potential filming dates. While no additional names have signed on as of yet, she added, “We are just in early production conversations, but it’s exciting.”
