Lisa Leslie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lisa Leslie

Leslie in 2010
Personal information
Born	(1972-07-07) July 7, 1972 (age 53) Compton, California, U.S.
High school	Morningside (Inglewood, California)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
College	USC (1990–1994)
NBA Draft	1997 / Allocated
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Pro career	1997–2009
Career history
As player:
1997–2009	Los Angeles Sparks
As coach:
2019–2024	Triplets
Career highlights and awards
As player: 2× WNBA champion (2001, 2002) 2× WNBA Finals MVP (2001, 2002) 3× WNBA MVP (2001, 2004, 2006) 8× WNBA All-Star (1999–2003, 2005, 2006, 2009) 3× WNBA All-Star Game MVP (1999, 2001, 2002) 8× All-WNBA First Team (1997, 2000–2004, 2006, 2008) 4× All-WNBA Second Team (1998, 1999, 2005, 2009) 2× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2004, 2008) 2× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2006, 2008) 2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2009) 2× WNBA blocks leader (2004, 2008) 3× WNBA rebounding champion (1997, 1998), 2004) WNBA Peak Performer (2004) WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006) WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011) WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016) WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021) No. 9 retired by Los Angeles Sparks No. 33 retired by USC FIBA World Championship MVP (2002) Honda Sports Award (1994) Naismith College Player of the Year (1994) USBWA National Player of the Year (1994) WBCA Player of the Year (1994) Kodak All-American (1994) 3× USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (1993, 1998, 2002) 2× All-American – USBWA (1993, 1994) 4× All Pac-10 (1991-1994) Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1990) Gatorade National Player of the Year (1990) As head coach: BIG3 champion (2019)
Career WNBA statistics
Points	6,263 (17.3 ppg)
Rebounds	3,307 (9.1 rpg)
Blocks	822 (2.3 bpg)
Medals Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta National Team Gold 2000 Sydney National Team Gold 2004 Athens National Team Gold 2008 Beijing National Team World Championships Gold 1998 Germany National Team Gold 2002 China National Team Bronze 1994 Australia National Team World University Games Gold 1991 Sheffield Team Competition Jones Cup Gold 1992 Taipei Team Competition

Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is a famous American former professional basketball player. She was a head coach for the Triplets in the BIG3 basketball league and is a sports analyst for Orlando Magic games.

In 2002, Lisa Leslie made history as the first player to dunk the ball during a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game. Many people consider her one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.

Leslie played for the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 2009. She won the WNBA MVP award three times. She also earned four Olympic gold medals. After her amazing career at the University of Southern California, she was chosen as the seventh pick in the first-ever WNBA draft in 1997. She was selected for the WNBA All-Star team eight times and led the Sparks to two WNBA championships. She retired in 2009.

In 2011, fans voted her one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. During her WNBA career, Leslie also played for USA Basketball in international games. She won four Olympic gold medals (in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008) and two FIBA World Championships (in 1998 and 2002).

In 2015, Leslie was honored by being inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. As a coach, she led the Triplets to win the BIG3 Championship in 2019.

Lisa Leslie's Early Life and Family

Lisa Leslie was born in Compton, California. Her mother, Christine Lauren Leslie, was 6 feet 3 inches tall. Christine started her own truck driving business to support Lisa and her two sisters, Dionne and Tiffany, and her brother, Elgin. Lisa also played on an all-girls basketball team that had an amazing record of 33 wins and only 1 loss.

Discovering Basketball in Middle School

When Lisa started middle school, a classmate asked her to join the basketball team. During tryouts, players were asked to split into groups for layup drills based on whether they were left-handed or right-handed. Lisa was the only left-handed player. To avoid standing alone, she decided to practice using her right hand. This helped her become skilled with both hands, which is called being ambidextrous.

In eighth grade, Lisa moved to a new junior high school. This school did not have a girls' basketball team, so she joined the boys' team. Playing with the boys helped her become even more confident in her basketball skills.

High School Basketball Star

By the age of 14, even before starting high school, Lisa Leslie was already getting letters from over a hundred colleges! Many top university basketball programs wanted her to play for them.

In 1986, Lisa enrolled at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. She quickly became a key player on the girls' varsity basketball team. She also played volleyball and competed in track and field, even qualifying for state events in the 400-meter run and high jump.

By her second year of high school, Lisa could dunk the basketball during games. She led her team in scoring and rebounding, helping them win the 1989 California state championship. She was also invited to play for the USA's Junior World Championship team. In her senior year, she was considered the best player in the country. She led her team to another state championship, averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds per game. In 1990, she famously scored 101 points in just the first half of a game, tying a national high school record!

Lisa Leslie's College Basketball Journey

Lisa Leslie attended the University of Southern California (USC) from 1990 to 1994. She earned a bachelor's degree in communications. Later, she also completed a master's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

During her college career, Lisa played in 120 games. She averaged 20.1 points per game, shooting 53.4% from the field and 69.8% from the free-throw line. She set records in the Pac-10 Conference for total points (2,414), rebounds (1,214), and blocked shots (321). She also held USC's single-season record for blocked shots with 95, a record that was later broken in 2023.

USC had a great record of 89 wins and 31 losses while Lisa was there. They won one Pac-10 conference championship and made it to the NCAA tournament four times. Lisa was recognized as an All-Pac-10 player all four years and was the first player in Pac-10 history to be on the first team for four years straight. She also won the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year award in 1991 and the national freshman of the year award. In 1994, she received many top national player awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year award. She was also named an All-American in 1992, 1993, and 1994.

USC College Statistics

Lisa Leslie's WNBA Career Highlights

The WNBA started in 1997. Lisa Leslie was one of the first players chosen in the 1997 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Her first game was on June 21, 1997. In that game, she scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, making the first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories) in WNBA history!

Lisa Leslie led the Sparks to the playoffs five times in a row. In 2001, her team finally won their first WNBA championship. That same year, the Women's Sports Foundation named her the Sportswoman of the Year.

On July 30, 2002, Lisa Leslie made history again by becoming the first woman to dunk the ball in a WNBA game. In the same year, she was the first WNBA player to score over 3,000 career points. She also helped the Sparks win their second WNBA championship in a row. Two seasons later, she reached 4,000 career points.

Leslie holds the Sparks' team records for career scoring and rebounding. She is also the 4th highest all-time rebound leader in the WNBA. In one season, she achieved a "triple-double" with 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 blocks. She even dunked in the 2005 WNBA All-Star Game. On August 11, 2009, she became the first player to score 6,000 career points.

Lisa Leslie announced her retirement from basketball at the end of the 2009 season. The Sparks held a special ceremony to celebrate her amazing career. She retired holding league records for points (6,263), rebounds (3,307), and a special stat called PRA (points + rebounds + assists) with 10,444.

Her very last WNBA game was in the 2009 playoffs. Even though she scored 22 points and had 9 rebounds, her team, the Sparks, lost and were eliminated. In 2011, fans voted her one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. In 2016, she was also named to the WNBA Top 20@20 team, celebrating the league's 20th anniversary.

WNBA Career Statistics

†	Denotes seasons in which Leslie won a WNBA championship
	WNBA record

Regular season

WNBA regular season statistics

Playoffs

WNBA playoff statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
1999	Los Angeles	4	4	36.3	.483	.308	.778	8.5	2.8	1.0	1.5	3.50	19.0
2000	Los Angeles	4	4	34.8	.491	.000	.826	10.3	2.0	0.2	1.2	3.25	18.8
2001†	Los Angeles	7	7	37.1	.492	.429	.740	12.3°	3.0	1.7	4.4°	3.71	22.3
2002†	Los Angeles	6	6	38.7	.535	.625	.731	7.8	1.8	1.8	2.8	1.33	19.3
2003	Los Angeles	9	9	36.3	.540	.333	.704	8.9	2.6	1.3	3.1	2.67	20.8°
2004	Los Angeles	3	3	36.7	.452	.000	.750	8.7	0.7	0.3	2.7	2.67	11.3
2005	Los Angeles	2	2	33.5	.357	.000	.615	6.5	3.5	2.5	1.5	1.00	9.0
2006	Los Angeles	5	5	32.6	.308	.333	.759	7.2	1.8	0.8	1.6	3.40	12.6
2008	Los Angeles	6	6	32.0	.516	.500	.625	8.8	2.2	1.2	2.8	4.33	13.8
2009	Los Angeles	6	6	34.6	.452	.000	.615	9.2	2.0	1.3	1.5	2.17	16.7
Career	10 years, 1 team	52	52	35.4	.480	.390	.711	9.1	2.3	1.3	2.5	2.90	17.5

Lisa Leslie's National Team Career

Leslie playing against Spain during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Lisa Leslie was chosen for the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team when she was 17. She was the youngest player on the team. They competed in the Junior World Championship in Spain in 1989. Lisa led her team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks, showing her talent early on.

In 1991, Lisa was part of the USA team that won a gold medal at the World University Games in England. She was the second-highest scorer for the team, which had a perfect 7–0 record. She also helped the 1992 Jones Cup Team win gold in Taipei.

Lisa Leslie is famous for her four consecutive Olympic appearances, where she won four gold medals! She is one of only two female basketball players to achieve this. She also won two FIBA World Championships with the United States national team in 1998 and 2002. In the 1996 Olympics, she set an American Olympic women's scoring record by scoring 35 points against Japan in the semifinals.

Lisa is one of only seven USA Basketball players to compete in three Olympics, and one of two with four gold medals. She led the U.S. team in scoring during the 2004 Olympic Games. By her third Olympics, she became the USA's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots in Olympic games. She always scored double-digit averages in major international events. At just 20 years old, Lisa was also the youngest player to try out for the USA Olympic team in 1992.

Other Professional Activities

Beyond basketball, Lisa Leslie has also been a fashion model and an actress. She has appeared in magazines like Vogue and Newsweek, and many sports publications. She has been a guest on ESPN and several TV shows, including Sister Sister, The Game, and One on One. She has also been a guest commentator for "Sports Zone" on KABC-TV in Los Angeles and appeared in various commercials. She even played herself in an episode of The Simpsons and the movie Think Like a Man. Lisa Leslie was also a playable character in the original Backyard Basketball video game.

Since retiring from playing basketball, Lisa Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for networks like NBC, ABC, and Fox Sports Net. She wrote an autobiography called Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You. In 2011, she became a co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. In 2018, she joined Fox Sports Florida as an analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts.

On January 10, 2019, Lisa Leslie became the coach of the Triplets, a new team in the BIG3 three-on-three basketball league. That year, she led the team to a fantastic 7–1 record and won the BIG3 Championship.

Lisa Leslie's Personal Life

Lisa Leslie at an event in Phoenix, Arizona.

On November 5, 2005, Lisa Leslie married Michael Lockwood. Michael played basketball for the United States Air Force Academy and is now a pilot for UPS. In 2007, Lisa took a year off from professional basketball when she was pregnant, and her daughter was born that year. She returned to the WNBA for the 2008 season. In 2010, Lisa and Michael welcomed their son, Michael II.

Lisa Leslie is a Christian. She has spoken about how her faith helped her throughout her life and career. She believes in trusting God to fulfill her purpose.

Lisa is also a realtor and helped start a real-estate company called Aston Rose, which focuses on sports and entertainment. On July 15, 2021, she became an honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

See also

In Spanish: Lisa Leslie para niños

• List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game
• List of WNBA career rebounding leaders
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award