Lisa Leslie Statue Honors a Legend Who Changed Women's Basketball Forever

The Los Angeles Sparks unveiled a statue of basketball legend Lisa Leslie on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Crypto.com Arena. Leslie is one of the greatest players in WNBA history, and the ceremony was held in the arena's Star Plaza. She won two WNBA championships and was named the league's Most Valuable Player three times. She also won four Olympic gold medals in a row and was the first woman ever to dunk in a WNBA game. Her statue celebrates everything she gave to women's basketball, both on and off the court.

Leslie spent all 12 years of her WNBA career with the Sparks and grew up in Inglewood, California. She is 6 feet 5 inches tall and played college basketball at the University of Southern California. Long before her playing days ended, she was already changing what it meant to be a woman in sports. She showed that athletes could be powerful competitors while still expressing their personality through fashion and style. Her example inspired a whole generation of players who came after her.

Before she even played her first WNBA game, Leslie had already made history off the court. Right after college, she negotiated her own Nike shoe deal. In 1996, she became the first WNBA player to sign with a major modeling agency, called Wilhelmina Models. That same year, she won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Atlanta. She wasn't just an athlete — she was becoming a cultural figure that millions of people admired.

Today's biggest WNBA stars say Leslie's influence shaped who they are. Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson is the only player in league history to win the MVP award four times. Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese has her own signature shoe and has appeared in Vogue magazine. Both players credit Leslie with helping clear the path for their success. Leslie says she sees her hard work reflected in everything these younger players have been able to achieve.

Leslie calls herself an 'auntie' to many players in the league, but the players think of her as even closer than that. 'She's been a great mentor to me. A big sister to me,' Reese said. Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, who is retiring at the end of this season, used the same kind of words. 'She came in early in my career and provided me mentorship,' Ogwumike said. 'It's almost like a family relationship, a very surprising sisterhood.'

Leslie has shown up for players at important moments in their careers. She was in the arena on July 12 when Wilson passed her on the WNBA's all-time scoring list. Wilson remembered talking to Leslie during the 2020 bubble season when she first won her MVP. 'She's always someone that is constantly a bug in my ear of how I can be better, but also understanding that I'm great at where I am,' Wilson said. That kind of support has meant a great deal to Wilson throughout her career.

Before Reese was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Sky in 2024, Leslie called her with words of encouragement. 'When I knew I wasn't going back to LSU, she called me and told me, I know you're ready and you're going to do a lot of great things,' Reese recalled. Reese honored that moment by including Leslie in a McDonald's Super Bowl commercial in 2025. The ad launched the Angel Reese Special, the first signature meal McDonald's ever created for a female athlete. It was Reese's way of paying tribute to the woman who believed in her.

Leslie's time in the WNBA was not always rewarded the way it deserved to be. In 2006, she earned the league maximum salary of just $91,000 a year, while today's top players can earn over a million dollars. She had a Nike signature shoe released in 1998, but there was never another shoe or clothing line after that. She even made a PowerPoint presentation trying to convince Nike to create longer pants and stylish athletic wear for women — but it didn't work out. Still, Leslie says the hard work her generation put in was like 'sweat equity' that helped grow the sport for those who came later.

Leslie will be only the second WNBA player to receive a statue from her professional team, after Sue Bird received one from the Seattle Storm in August 2025. Wilson captured why the honor matters: 'Lisa was not the cookie cutter image of what they wanted us as women of the WNBA to look like. She gave us the feel of, Be yourself.' Wilson said Leslie always shows up as her true self, and that is why so many people admire her. The statue is more than a piece of art — it is a lasting symbol of how one person can change an entire sport.