Lisa Leslie now stands permanently outside Crypto.com Arena. The three-time WNBA MVP and Basketball Hall of Famer became the first WNBA player to receive a statue outside the Los Angeles arena, unveiled Sunday in a ceremony celebrating her legacy. The Lisa Leslie statue also makes her the first woman to be honored with a statue outside the building, joining the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West.
Leslie spoke about the significance of the moment, saying she wanted the statue to capture both her competitive fire and her femininity. “I wanted to make sure that this statue was a perfect blend of fearlessness and the competitor that I was and I am and I’ll always be,” she said. “I wore my ribbons, I had my nails polished, which y’all can’t see, but the girl got her polish on because I never wanted the boys or the men to think that I was a boy.”
She continued, “I wanted to play hard like them, but I wanted them to know that I respected myself and that I was a lady. And I wanted little girls to see my ribbons when I played because I wanted them to be able to see themselves in me”.
Leslie played her entire 12-year WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks, winning two championships and becoming the league’s first player to dunk in a game. She is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and was named to the WNBA’s 25th Anniversary Team. The statue’s unveiling drew tributes from across the sports world, with fellow athletes and fans celebrating a pioneer who helped build the league she now watches continue to grow .
