History is about to be made outside Crypto.com Arena this fall—and it's not about a game-winning shot or a championship banner. It's about a statue. A bronze tribute to a Southern California basketball icon who redefined the game.

Lisa Leslie, the Compton-born legend who dominated from high school to the WNBA, will become the first WNBA player immortalized in Star Plaza. The Los Angeles Sparks announced Thursday that the statue will be unveiled on Sunday, September 20, just before the Sparks take on the Portland Fire.

This puts Leslie in elite company. She's only the second WNBA player ever to receive a statue outside her home arena, following Seattle Storm great Sue Bird, whose statue was unveiled last August outside Climate Pledge Arena.

"To be cemented in Los Angeles, the city that raised me, I couldn't be more proud to be a role model forever!" said the 53-year-old Leslie. "God has blessed me, and I have truly given my all to this sport and our community. I am thankful to my coaches, teammates, incredible fans, and most importantly, my family and friends. As the saying goes, 'The wolf is only as strong as the pack,' and I've been fortunate to have an amazing pack supporting me every step of the way."

Leslie's journey to this moment is the stuff of sports lore. She started playing basketball at a school without a girls' team, but her talent was impossible to ignore. When she transferred to Inglewood's Morningside High, she received over 100 recruiting letters from colleges. She led Morningside to a California state championship in 1989, and in her senior year, she delivered a performance that still echoes through high school basketball history.

In just one half of a game against South Torrance, Leslie scored an astronomical 101 points—tying Cheryl Miller for the most points ever in a full girls basketball game. It's the kind of feat that doesn't just win games; it creates legends.

Now, that legend will stand tall in bronze, right where she belongs.