The Los Angeles Sparks are honoring basketball royalty this September, and fans won't want to miss it. Legendary center Lisa Leslie will be immortalized with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, with the unveiling set for September 20 before the Sparks take on the Portland Fire. Leslie herself announced the honor during a Thursday appearance on "Good Morning America," telling host Robin Roberts she feels humbled by the recognition.
"It has been a pleasure to play my whole career there in Los Angeles, to be a role model to the community," Leslie shared on the show. And what a career it was. After starring at USC, Leslie spent all 12 of her WNBA seasons with the Sparks, leading the franchise to back-to-back championships. She was a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, three-time league MVP, eight-time All-Star, and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. She also made history as the first player to dunk in a WNBA game—a moment that still sends chills down the spines of basketball fans everywhere.
The Sparks retired Leslie's No. 9 jersey in 2010, and she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. The statue idea has been in the works since 2019, and now it's finally becoming a reality. This honor places Leslie in elite company—she'll join Sue Bird as the only WNBA players to receive statues from their franchises. Her bronze likeness will stand in Star Plaza, surrounded by Los Angeles sports icons like Magic Johnson, Kobe and Gigi Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"More than an athlete, she is a pioneer, a cultural icon and a force who elevated women's basketball to new heights," said Magic Johnson in a statement. "This statue celebrates her excellence, her leadership and the future she helped create, and it ensures her impact will never be forgotten." For Sparks fans and basketball lovers alike, this September ceremony is a must-see tribute to a player who changed the game forever.