The Association discusses Lisa Leslie's impact on the WNBA as she is honored with a statue in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles native Lisa Leslie was honored with the unveiling of her statue outside Crypto.com Arena and a halftime ceremony on Sunday.
Leslie, a three-time WNBA MVP, played for the Sparks from 1997-2009, helped the team to back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Leslie was also the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game.
She became the first WNBA player to receive a statue in front of Crypto.com Arena.
Lisa Leslie’s statue has been unveiled in Los Angeles!
The @LASparks legend joins Sue Bird as the only players in WNBA history to be honored with a statue by her franchise 🤩 https://t.co/mGZapSjWB4
— NBA (@NBA) September 20, 2026
“I wanted to make sure that this statue was a perfect blend of fearlessness and the competitor that I was and I am and I’ll always be,” Leslie said. “But also … I wore my ribbons, I had my nails polished, which y’all can’t see, but the girl got her polish on because I never wanted the boys or the men to think that I was a boy.”
Los Angeles sports figures such as Marianne Stanley, Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy and Michael Cooper were at the statue unveiling.
“I’m thankful for this spot, this place, and this city.”@LisaLeslie on the honor of being immortalized alongside Lakers legends in Los Angeles 🙌
The @LASparks legend is the first player in franchise history and just the second in WNBA history to receive a statue! https://t.co/UMS02OaUud
— NBA (@NBA) September 21, 2026
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
