WNBA legend Lisa Leslie honored with statue outside Los Angeles arena

Los Angeles Sparks legend Lisa Leslie was honored with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Sept. 20.

Leslie had a decorated WNBA career, spending all 13 seasons with the Sparks. She finished her career as a three-time league MVP, a two-time WNBA champion and a two-time Finals MVP. She also won four Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Advertisement

"She's cute," Leslie said while giving her initial reaction to the statue unveiling. "I was so worried I didn't want to look like a linebacker up here. ... I wanted to make sure this statue was a perfect blend of fearlessness and the competitor that I was."

Leslie is the first woman to have her own statue in front of the arena and the 15th overall statue to be placed outside the arena, joining Los Angeles Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson among others.

"I have the opportunity to be amongst legends I respect," Leslie said to the crowd during her ceremony. "... I'm right across from my little baby brother Kobe. ... I'm right by Magic. The people that poured into my life."

Advertisement

"The history-making is what I'm really impressed with," Johnson said during the ceremony. 

Leslie, an eight-time All-Star, was the first WNBA player to dunk in a regular-season game and set several career point total milestones. She also became the first WNBA player to earn all three MVP honors in 2001, winning the All-Star Game MVP, the regular-season MVP and the Finals MVP.

She averaged 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 363 career games and made the All-WNBA first team eight times.

Leslie remained loyal to Southern California, playing high school basketball at Morningside High in Inglewood before spending four years with USC women's basketball.

Advertisement

"It's about time," former Sparks coach Michael Cooper told Nitecast Media. "She's the greatest WNBA player to have played the game."

Cooper spent seven seasons as Leslie's head coach while with the Sparks.

What's next for Lisa Leslie?

Leslie would consider returning to a role in team ownership.

"I want to be back in ownership positions," Leslie said during a press conference on Sunday. "I want to be back in an investment position. That would be great."

Leslie previously held a minority ownership stake in the Sparks after joining the Williams Group Holding back in 2011.

Advertisement

She became the first former WNBA player to purchase an ownership stake in a WNBA team.

Leslie remained a part owner until 2014, when the Williams Group Holding sold a controlling stake in the team to the current ownership group that includes Johnson and Mark Walter.

During the press conference, Leslie jokingly told Johnson to call her regarding the possibility of doing business together.

Lisa Leslie statue ceremony highlights

Advertisement

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA legend Lisa Leslie honored with statue outside Los Angeles arena