Lisa Leslie

Lisa Leslie
Personal information
Born (1972-07-07) July 7, 1972 (age 52)[1]
Compton, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolMorningside (Inglewood, California)
CollegeUSC (1990–1994)
WNBA draft1997: Allocated
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Playing career1997–2009
PositionCenter
Number9
Career history
As player:
19972009Los Angeles Sparks
As coach:
2019–presentTriplets
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

Career WNBA statistics
Points6,263 (17.3 ppg)
Rebounds3,307 (9.1 rpg)
Blocks822 (2.3 bpg)
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta National Team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney National Team
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens National Team
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing National Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Germany National Team
Gold medal – first place 2002 China National Team
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Australia National Team
World University Games
Gold medal – first place 1991 Sheffield Team Competition
Jones Cup
Gold medal – first place 1992 Taipei Team Competition

Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Bally Sports Florida. In 2002, Leslie made history as the first player to dunk during a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game.[2] Leslie was ranked 5th on ESPN.com's 2021 list of the WNBA's greatest players of all time.[3]

Leslie played in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 2009. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner. The number-seven pick in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft, she followed her career at the University of Southern California with eight WNBA All-Star selections and two WNBA championships over the course of 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, before retiring in 2009.[4] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. All throughout her WNBA career, Leslie also played for USA Basketball in international competition, winning four Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and two FIBA World Championships (1998, 2002).

In 2015, Leslie was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Upon becoming coach of the Triplets in 2019, she led the team to the BIG3 Championship that year.

  1. ^ "Lisa Leslie Playerfile". WNBA. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Lisa Leslie: First Dunk in WNBA History | "What's she gonna do... She dunked it!" On her 45th birthday, look back at Lisa Leslie's historic slam. #FlashbackFriday #WNBABDAY | By WNBA - Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ranking the 25 greatest players in WNBA history". ESPN.com. September 21, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).