SoCal legend Lisa Leslie becomes the first WNBA player to get a statue outside Crypto.com Arena

History will be made at Crypto.com Arena this fall, but not inside the legendary arena, rather outside it, with a SoCal basketball legend getting immortalized in Star Plaza.

Lisa Leslie, the Compton-born basketball legend who lit up basketball courts in high school, college and the WNBA — all in SoCal — will be the first WNBA player to get a statue in Star Plaza.

The Los Angeles Sparks announced via press release on Thursday that the statue will be unveiled Sunday, September 20, before the Sparks’ game against the Portland Fire.

She becomes just the second WNBA player ever to get her own statue outside of the arena she helped fill, following Seattle Storm legend 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!” Leslie, 53, said in a statement.

“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,” she added.

“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,” she concluded.

Leslie started playing basketball at a school without a girls team, and she impressed scouts so much that when she transferred to Inglewood’s Morningside High, where she received over 100 recruiting letters from colleges.

She led Morningside to a California state championship in 1989, and in her senior year, she turned in a legendary performance in just one half.

Leslie scored an astronomical 101 points in the first half of a game between South Torrance, which tied Cheryl Miller for the most points in a full girls basketball game.

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She wouldn’t get a chance to surpass the record since South Torrance forfeited the game, refusing to play against Leslie.

She stayed in LA and played her college ball at the University of Southern California, averaging over 20 points per game and 10 rebounds per game throughout her four years at USC.

Leslie represented her country on the USA Women’s Basketball team during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, helping Team USA to a gold medal win. She also played on the gold-medal-winning US National teams in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

The WNBA was incorporated that same year, with Leslie taken 7th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks, allowing her to stay in Southern California for her pro career.

Leslie lead the Sparks to their first WNBA championship in 2001, and won back-to-back titles in 2002, the same year she became the first WNBA player to dunk in a game and later at the All-Star Game.

She played her entire pro career in LA, retiring in 2009, with her No. 9 jersey retired by the Sparks in 2010.

“I’ve known Lisa for nearly three decades and believe that she is beyond deserving of this incredible honor,” said another LA legend, Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

“She was the driving force behind bringing back-to-back championships to the Los Angeles Sparks franchise in 2000 and 2001, and Lisa’s hard work and commitment has made her one of the best to ever play the game,” he added.

“Lisa’s legacy isn’t just measured by championships and accolades, though; it’s defined by the doors she opened and the standard she set for generations to come. More than an athlete, she is a pioneer, a cultural icon and a force who elevated women’s basketball to new heights. This statue celebrates her excellence, her leadership and the future she helped create, and it ensures her impact will forever be part of the fabric of this city,” Magic concluded.

Leslie will be the 15th statue added to Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, joining Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Oscar De La Hoya, Chick Hearn, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Luc Robitaille, Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Miller, Elgin Baylor, Dustin Brown, Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant and Pat Riley.

The statue will be crafted by renowned sculptors Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany, who created several of the statues in Star Plaza including Hearn, West, O’Neal, Baylor and Riley, the latter of which was unveiled in February 2026.

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