Lisa Leslie - wikipedia Lisa Leslie Lisa Leslie Leslie in December 2010 ( 1972 - 07 - 07 ) July 7, 1972 ( age 45 ) Gardena, California Nationality American Listed height 6 ft 5 in ( 1.96 m ) Listed weight 170 lb ( 77 kg ) Career information High school Morningside ( Inglewood, California ) College USC ( 1990 -- 1994 ) WNBA draft 1997 / Allocated Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks Playing career 1997 -- 2009 Position Center Number 9 Career history 1997 -- 2009 Los Angeles Sparks Career highlights and awards 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 ) WNBA Peak Performer ( 2004 ) WNBA 's Top 15 Players of All Time ( 2011 ) WNBA Top 20@20 ( 2016 ) WNBA playoffs all - time blocks leader Stats at WNBA.com Basketball Hall of Fame as player Women 's Basketball Hall of Fame Medals Representing United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta National Team 2000 Sydney National Team 2004 Athens National Team 2008 Beijing National Team World Championships 1998 Germany National Team 2002 China National Team World University Games 1991 Sheffield Team Competition Jones Cup 1992 Taipei Team Competition Lisa Deshaun Leslie ( born July 7, 1972 ) is a former American professional basketball player who played in the Women 's National Basketball Association ( WNBA ). She is a three - time WNBA MVP and a four - time Olympic gold medal winner. The number - seven pick in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft, she followed her career at the University of Southern California with eight WNBA All - Star selections and two WNBA championships over the course of eleven seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, before retiring in 2009. Leslie was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. In 2015, she was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Contents 1 Early life 1.1 Middle school 1.2 High school 2 College career 2.1 USC statistics 3 WNBA career 4 National team career 5 WNBA career statistics 5.1 Regular season 5.2 Playoffs 6 Personal life 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Early life Leslie is the daughter of Christine Lauren Leslie, who stood 6 ft 3 in, and Walter Leslie, a semi-professional basketball player. Christine started her own truck driving business to support her three children. Walter left the family when her mother was four months pregnant with her. Leslie has two sisters : Dionne, who is five years older, and Tiffany, who is eight years younger. She also has a brother, Elgin, who is now the Carondelet high school basketball coach. Lisa played basketball on an all - boys basketball team in middle school. She also played on an all - girls team with the record 33 - 1. Middle school By the time Leslie was in middle school in California, she had grown to over 6'1 '' but never participated in athletic activities besides tetherball and double Dutch. Her dream then was to be a television weather reporter. During the first few weeks of middle high, a classmate begged Leslie to help out the basketball team. On her first day of basketball tryouts, team members were told to split into two groups for layup drills : lefties and righties. Leslie was the only lefty in the group, so from then on, she decided to become right - hand dominant so she would not have to stand in a line by herself. That decision worked to her advantage, as she became ambidextrous. In eighth grade, she transferred to a junior high school without a girls ' basketball team, and joined a boys ' basketball team. Her success there contributed to her confidence in her playing abilities. High school At the age of 14, before Leslie had even started high school at Morningside, she received more than a hundred college recruiting letters, including some from top Division I programs at the University of Tennessee and Stanford University. Leslie continued her education in 1986 by enrolling at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. She made an immediate impact on the basketball program, starting every game for the girl 's varsity team. She also found time to join the volleyball team and compete in track and field. She ended up being a state qualifier in the 400 - meter run and the high jump. By the time she was a sophomore in high school, she was able to dunk the ball in the open court, even though she was not able to palm the ball. She was her team 's leading scorer and rebounder and led them to the 1989 California state championship. Leslie was so talented that she was invited to participate in the USA 's Junior World Championship team. Entering her senior year, she developed into the top player in the country. She led her team to a state championship averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds per game. College career Leslie decided to stay close to home and attend women 's basketball powerhouse the University of Southern California from 1990 -- 1994. She graduated from USC with a bachelor 's degree in communications and later completed her master 's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. Leslie played in a total of 120 college games, averaging 20.1 points, hitting 53.4 % of her shots, and knocking down 69.8 % of her free throws. She set the Pac - 10 Conference records for scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots accumulating 2,414 points, 1,214 rebounds, and 321 blocked shots. She also holds the USC single season record for blocked shots ( 95 ). During her college career, USC compiled an impressive 89 -- 31 record. They won one Pac - 10 conference championship and earned four NCAA tournament appearances. Leslie was honored with All - Pac - 10 recognition all four years, as well as becoming the first player in Pac - 10 history to obtain first team all four years and earn the Pac - 10 Rookie of the Year award in 1991. Leslie was also honored on the national platform by earning the national freshman of the year award in 1991. In 1994, she won multiple national player of the year awards -- the Naismith College Player of the Year award, the USBWA Women 's National Player of the Year award, the Honda Sports Award for basketball, and the WBCA Player of the Year award. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, she earned All - American Honors as well. USC statistics Source Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG % Field goal percentage 3P % 3 - point field goal percentage FT % Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high Year Team GP Points FG % 3P % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 1990 - 91 USC 30 582 47.8 % 25.0 % 67.6 % 10.0 0.7 1.4 2.6 19.4 1991 - 92 USC 31 632 55.0 % 25.0 % 69.7 % 8.4 1.5 1.8 1.7 20.4 1992 - 93 USC 29 543 55.8 % 25.0 % 73.5 % 9.8 2.0 2.1 3.3 18.7 1993 - 94 USC 30 657 55.8 % 8.0 % 68.7 % 12.3 2.8 2.3 3.1 21.9 Career 120 2414 53.4 % 18.9 % 69.8 % 10.1 1.7 1.9 2.7 20.1 WNBA career The WNBA was incorporated in 1996 and began playing in 1997. Leslie was drafted on January 22 by the Los Angeles Sparks as part of the Initial Allocation phase of the draft. She helped the Sparks make the playoffs five consecutive times, but the team did not win a WNBA title until 2001. That year, Leslie was named the 2001 Sportswoman of the Year ( in the team category ) by the Women 's Sports Foundation. On July 30, 2002, Leslie became the first woman to dunk the ball in a WNBA game. That same year she became the first WNBA player to score over 3,000 total career points and contributed to the Sparks winning their second straight WNBA championship that season. Two seasons later, she became the first player to reach the 4,000 - career point milestone. Leslie remains the Sparks ' career scoring and rebounding leader, as well as the all - time league leader in rebounds. Within that same season, she also became the third player in WNBA history to record a triple double, when she had 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks. In the 2005 WNBA All - Star Game, Leslie had also become the first WNBA player to dunk in an all - star game. On August 11, 2009, Leslie became the first player to score 6,000 points in a career. Earlier that month she was the first player to reach 10,000 career PRA ( points + rebounds + assists ), a statistic fundamental to the WNBA `` Pick One Challenge '' fantasy game. Lisa Leslie announced her retirement effective at the end of the 2009 season on February 4, 2009. The Sparks held a farewell ceremony for Leslie during their final home game of the season in September. She finished holding the league records for points ( 6,263 ), rebounds ( 3,307 ) and PRA ( 10,444 ). In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen - year history of the WNBA. In 2016, she was voted into the WNBA Top 20@20, in celebration of the league 's 20th anniversary. WNBA award years MVP 2001, 2004, 2006 WNBA Titles 2001, 2002 Finals MVP 2001, 2002 All - WNBA First Team 1997, 2000 -- 2004, 2006, 2008 All - WNBA Second Team 1998, 1999, 2005, 2009 All - Star Game MVP 1999, 2001, 2002 All - Star Games 1999 -- 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 All - Decade Team 1997 -- 2006 Defensive Player of the Year 2004, 2008 All - Defensive First Team 2006, 2008 All - Defensive Second Team 2005, 2009 Player of the Week 15 ( league record ) National team career Leslie playing against Spain during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Leslie was named to the USA Basketball Women 's Junior National Team ( now called the U19 team ). She was 17 at the time, the youngest player on the USA team. The team participated in the second Junior World Championship, held in Bilbao, Spain in July 1989. The USA team lost their opening game to South Korea in overtime, then lost a two - point game to Australia. After winning their next game against Bulgaria, behind 22 points and nine rebounds from Leslie, the USA team again fell in a close game, losing by three points to Czechoslovakia. After beating Zaire in their next game, the USA team played Spain, and fell three points short. Leslie led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks, averaging 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and recording 21 blocks over the course of the event. The USA team finished in seventh place. Leslie was a member of the USA team competing at the 1991 World University Games held in Sheffield, England. Leslie was the second leading scorer on the USA squad, averaging 13.0 points per game, and helped the Tara VanDerveer - coached team to an 8 -- 0 record and the gold medal. She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1992 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei for the first time since 1987. Leslie has made four consecutive Olympic appearances, and has earned four gold medals. She was the second female basketball player ever to earn that many gold medals, after Teresa Edwards. Leslie has also made appearances with the United States national women 's basketball team where she won gold medals in 1996 and 2000, and has also earned a world championship. Leslie scored 35 points against Japan in the semifinals of the 1996 Olympics to set an American Olympic women 's scoring record. Leslie is one of seven USA Basketball 's three - time Olympians, and one of two players with four gold medals. She led the U.S. team in scoring during the 2004 Olympic Games. During her third Olympic completion, she became the USA 's all - time leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker in Olympic competition. Every time she has competed in a major international event, she has compiled double - digit scoring averages. Leslie, at age 20, was also the youngest player to participate at the USA Olympic Trials in 1992. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics medal awards, despite being requested by officials not to, Leslie wore her gold medals from past Olympics while being awarded her team 's current win. Leslie 's actions were viewed by members of the Australian national team, her opponents in the gold medal game, as grandiose and poor sportsmanship. Leslie has had a fierce rivalry with Lauren Jackson ever since the 2000 Olympics, when the Australian star ripped out Leslie 's hair extensions during a game. WNBA career statistics Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game TO Turnovers per game FG % Field - goal percentage 3P % 3 - point field - goal percentage FT % Free - throw percentage Bold Career high League leader † Denotes seasons in which Leslie won a WNBA championship WNBA record Regular season Year Team GP GS MPG FG % 3P % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 1997 Los Angeles 28 28 32.2. 431. 261. 598 9.5 2.6 1.4 2.1 3.89 15.9 1998 Los Angeles 28 28 32.1. 478. 391. 768 10.2 2.5 1.5 2.1 3.64 19.6 1999 Los Angeles 32 32 29.1. 468. 423. 731 7.8 1.8 1.1 1.5 2.94 15.6 2000 Los Angeles 32 32 32.1. 458. 219. 824 9.6 1.9 1.0 2.3 3.22 17.8 2001 Los Angeles 31 31 33.3. 473. 367. 736 9.6 2.4 1.1 2.3 3.16 19.5 2002 Los Angeles 31 31 34.2. 466. 324. 727 10.4 2.7 1.5 2.9 3.48 16.9 2003 Los Angeles 23 23 34.4. 442. 324. 617 10.0 2.0 1.3 2.7 2.83 18.4 Los Angeles 34 34 33.8. 494. 273. 712 9.9 2.6 1.5 2.9 3.24 17.6 2005 Los Angeles 34 34 32.2. 440. 206. 586 7.3 2.6 2.0 2.1 2.94 15.2 2006 Los Angeles 34 34 30.7. 511. 400. 650 9.5 3.2 1.5 1.7 3.71 20.0 2008 Los Angeles 33 33 32.1. 463. 235. 661 8.9 2.4 1.5 2.9 3.61 15.1 2009 Los Angeles 23 21 27.7. 518. 167. 722 6.6 2.1 0.7 1.4 2.60 15.4 Career 12 years, 1 team 363 361 32.0. 470. 316. 695 9.1 2.4 1.4 2.3 3.34 17.3 Playoffs Year Team GP GS MPG FG % 3P % FT % RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 1999 Los Angeles 36.3. 483. 308. 778 8.5 2.8 1.0 1.5 3.50 19.0 2000 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 36.7. 452. 000. 750 8.7 0.7 0.3 2.7 2.67 11.3 2005 Los Angeles 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 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 Personal life Leslie at an event hosted by National School Choice Week in Phoenix, Arizona. On November 5, 2005, Leslie married Michael Lockwood, who is a commercial real estate developer and a pilot for UPS. In 2007, she took a year 's leave from professional basketball for a pregnancy. Leslie and Lockwood have a daughter named Lauren Jolie Lockwood, who was born on June 15, 2007. After having the baby, Lisa got back in shape and returned to the WNBA for the 2008 season. Leslie had her second child, Michael Joseph Lockwood II, on April 6, 2010. Leslie is also a fashion model and an aspiring actress. She has been featured in Vogue and Newsweek, as well as many sports publications. She has been on ESPN numerous times and has been a guest star on several television shows such as Sister Sister, The Game, and One on One. She is a guest commentator for `` Sports Zone '' on KABC - TV / Los Angeles and wears the Circle 7 logo from the channel when on the show. She has also acted in a variety of commercials. Early in her career she signed a modeling contract with the Wilhelmina modeling agency. Lisa also was on the show, Superstars, and she and her partner, David Charvet, took 3rd place after David injured his wrist. Leslie also played herself in an episode of the TV - show The Jersey, where she switched bodies with a boy. In addition, she played herself in one episode of The Simpsons. She also appeared in the movie Think Like A Man, and played as herself. Leslie is also a playable character in the original Backyard Basketball, alongside Kevin Garnett. She was only the fourth female professional athlete in the Backyard Sports series, after Brianna Scurry, Brandi Chastain, and Tiffeny Milbrett. She also appeared in the 2nd episode of `` All in with Cam '' with host, Cam Newton. On January 28, 2016, it was announced that she would be a contestant in The New Celebrity Apprentice ( also known as Celebrity Apprentice 8 ). In 2009, Leslie earned a Masters of Business Administration ( MBA ) degree from the University of Phoenix. Since her retirement from professional basketball, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several sports networks, such as NBC, ABC and Fox Sports Net. She had also released an autobiography called Do n't Let the Lipstick Fool You. In 2011, she had become a co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. Leslie is also a Christian. In a most recent interview, she spoke out about her faith by saying : `` As a prayerful kid, I was always putting my faith and goals in the Lord 's name. That was always one of the things that helped me the most. I always wanted to fulfill His purpose. I think that 's really been the saving grace for me. When you have faith, you have to step out on it ( and trust God ). '' See also List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event WBCBL Professional Basketball Trailblazer Award References ^ Jump up to : `` Lisa Leslie Bio ''. NBC Universal. Retrieved December 21, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Porter p. 279 -- 280 ^ Jump up to : `` Lisa Leslie Biography ''. Black Book Partners. 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2008. Jump up ^ Grundy p. 222 ^ Jump up to : Leslie, Lisa, and Larry Barnett. Do n't Let the Lipstick Fool You. New York : Kensington Publishing Corp., 2008 ^ Jump up to : Meyer, Jan ( 1997 ). `` Women in Sports ''. Retrieved December 21, 2008. Jump up ^ Peter, Josh ( July 21, 2008 ). `` Day in the life of Lisa Leslie ''. Yahoo. Retrieved December 21, 2008. Jump up ^ SPORTS OF THE TIMES ; University Sells Itself During Playoffs NYTimes Website, Accessed March 20, 2009 Jump up ^ Los Angeles Sparks Lisa Leslie Receives her Masters at University of Phoenix WireImage Website, Accessed March 20, 2009 Jump up ^ `` USC Media Guide '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 12. ^ Jump up to : Gretchen ( March 22, 2006 ). `` Girls Ca n't What ''. Retrieved December 21, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Sportswoman of the Year Award ''. Women 's Sports Foundation. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 03. Jump up ^ `` WNBA 's History ''. Archived from the original on August 21, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Triple - Doubles, Dunks and 20 - 20 Games - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA ''. Jump up ^ `` SW Day 25 : Leslie first to dunk in a WNBA game ''. Jump up ^ `` Sparks ' Leslie becomes 1st player to 6,000 points ''. AP. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 12. Jump up ^ Lisa Leslie Announces Retirement WNBA.com, February 4, 2009 Jump up ^ Lisa Leslie acknowledges the fans during ' Lisa Leslie 's Farewell Game ' Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Lisa Leslie Playerfile Archived February 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` WNBA.com : AllStar 2011 ''. www.wnba.com. Jump up ^ `` Second FIBA Women 's U19 / Junior World Championship -- 1989 ''. USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015. Jump up ^ `` FIFTEENTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES -- 1991 ''. USA Basketball. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2010. Jump up ^ `` 1992 WOMEN 'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP ''. Retrieved August 3, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Dan Carter signs four - deal to stay in NZ ''. Jump up ^ `` Video ''. CNN. 2004 - 08 - 30. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved 2010 - 05 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson dreams of gold ''. July 20, 2008. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Lisa Leslie : ' My Husband Taught Me the Difference Between a Man and a Boy ' ''. Essence.com. December 16, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Lisa Leslie married, husband, divorce, pregnant, net worth, salary, height, wiki ''. ans-wer.com. Jump up ^ `` Michael Lockwood WNBA Lisa Leslie 's husband ''. February 25, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Michael J. Lockwood - Penguin Random House Canada ''. Penguin Random House Canada. Jump up ^ `` SPARKS : Sparks Star Lisa Leslie has Baby Girl ''. www.wnba.com. Jump up ^ `` Lisa Leslie Welcomes Son Michael Joseph II ''. Jump up ^ McMullen, Laura ( March 2, 2012 ). `` Lisa Leslie : From WNBA to M.B.A ''. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Lisa Leslie ''. Biography.com. Jump up ^ `` Leslie joins up with Sparks ' ownership group ''. Jump up ^ `` Lisa Leslie balances family, fame ''. brnow. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 12. Further reading Grundy, Pamela ( 2005 ). Shattering the glass. New Press. ISBN 978 - 1 - 56584 - 822 - 1. David L. Porter, ed. ( 2005 ). Basketball : A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 30952 - 6. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lisa Leslie. Lisa Leslie at WNBA.com at the Wayback Machine ( archived October 2, 2009 ) Lisa Leslie at Basketball-Reference.com WNBA chat transcript Lisa Leslie 's U.S. Olympic Team biography 101 - point half Lisa Leslie on IMDb Awards and Achievements Awards and achievements Preceded by Monica Seles Flo Hyman Memorial Award 2001 Succeeded by Dot Richardson USBWA Women 's National Player of the Year Award winners 1988 : Wicks 1989 : Davis 1990 : Azzi 1991 : Staley 1992 : Staley 1993 : Swoopes 1994 : Leslie 1995 : Lobo 1996 : Roundtree 1997 : Starbird 1998 : Holdsclaw 1999 : Holdsclaw 2000 : Catchings 2001 : Riley 2002 : Bird 2003 : Taurasi 2004 : Beard 2005 : Augustus 2006 : Latta 2007 : Parker 2008 : Parker 2009 : Moore 2010 : Charles 2011 : Moore 2012 : Griner 2013 : Griner 2014 : Stewart 2015 : Stewart 2016 : Stewart 2017 : Plum USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year winners 1980 : Blazejowski 1981 : Curry 1982 : Noble & Pollard 1983 : Woodard 1984 : Miller 1985 : Gillom 1986 : Miller 1987 : Edwards 1988 : McClain 1989 : Lacy 1990 : Edwards 1991 : Bolton 1992 : McClain 1993 : Leslie 1994 : Staley 1995 : Crawley 1996 : Edwards 1997 : Holdsclaw 1998 : Leslie 1999 : Williams 2000 : Edwards 2001 : Walker 2002 : Leslie 2003 : Augustus 2004 : Staley 2005 : Langhorne 2006 : Taurasi 2007 : Wiggins 2008 : Smith 2009 : Charles 2010 : Taurasi 2011 : Stewart 2012 : Taurasi 2013 : Stewart 2014 : Moore 2015 : Wilson 2016 : Taurasi Los Angeles Sparks Founded in 1997 Based in Los Angeles, California Franchise Franchise Current season Arenas Great Western Forum Staples Center Head coaches Linda Sharp Julie Rousseau Orlando Woolridge Michael Cooper Karleen Thompson Ryan Weisenberg Henry Bibby Joe Bryant Michael Cooper Jennifer Gillom Joe Bryant Carol Ross Penny Toler Brian Agler Administration Owner : Guggenheim Partners General Manager : Rhonda Windham Penny Toler All - Stars Tamecka Dixon Chamique Holdsclaw Jantel Lavender Lisa Leslie Mwadi Mabika Taj McWilliams - Franklin DeLisha Milton - Jones Nneka Ogwumike Candace Parker Nikki Teasley Tina Thompson Seasons 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Playoff appearances 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2008 2009 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Conference Championships 2001 2002 2003 2016 WNBA Championships 2001 2002 2016 Rivals Detroit Shock Houston Comets New York Liberty Phoenix Mercury Sacramento Monarchs San Antonio Stars Seattle Storm Media TV : Time Warner Cable SportsNet ( Los Angeles ) Announcers : Jim Watson, Mary Murphy Los Angeles Sparks 2001 WNBA champions Latasha Byears Tamecka Dixon Ukari Figgs Vedrana Grgin - Fonseca Lisa Leslie ( Finals MVP ) Nicole Levandusky Mwadi Mabika Rhonda Mapp Nicky McCrimmon DeLisha Milton - Jones Wendy Willits Head coach Michael Cooper Los Angeles Sparks 2002 WNBA champions Latasha Byears Tamecka Dixon Vedrana Grgin - Fonseca Lisa Leslie ( Finals MVP ) Marlies Askamp Mwadi Mabika Rhonda Mapp Nicky McCrimmon DeLisha Milton - Jones Nikki Teasley Érika de Souza Head coach Michael Cooper Naismith Women 's College Player of the Year 1983 : Donovan 1984 : Miller 1985 : Miller 1986 : Miller 1987 : Davis 1988 : Wicks 1989 : Davis 1990 : Azzi 1991 : Staley 1992 : Staley 1993 : Swoopes 1994 : Leslie 1995 : Lobo 1996 : Roundtree 1997 : Starbird 1998 : Holdsclaw 1999 : Holdsclaw 2000 : Catchings 2001 : Riley 2002 : Bird 2003 : Taurasi 2004 : Taurasi 2005 : Augustus 2006 : Augustus 2007 : Harding 2008 : Parker 2009 : Moore 2010 : Charles 2011 : Moore 2012 : Griner 2013 : Griner 2014 : Stewart 2015 : Stewart 2016 : Stewart 2017 : Plum Gatorade High School Basketball Player of the Year Award Boys 1986 : J.R. Reid 1987 : LaBradford Smith 1988 : Alonzo Mourning 1989 : Kenny Anderson 1990 : Damon Bailey 1991 : Chris Webber 1992 : Corliss Williamson 1993 : Randy Livingston 1994 : Felipe Lopez 1995 : Stephon Marbury 1996 : Kobe Bryant 1997 : Baron Davis 1998 : Al Harrington 1999 : LaVell Blanchard 2000 : Jared Jeffries 2001 : Kelvin Torbert 2002 : LeBron James 2003 : LeBron James 2004 : Dwight Howard 2005 : Greg Oden 2006 : Greg Oden 2007 : Kevin Love 2008 : Jrue Holiday 2009 : Brandon Knight 2010 : Brandon Knight 2011 : Bradley Beal 2012 : Jabari Parker 2013 : Andrew Wiggins 2014 : Karl - Anthony Towns 2015 : Ben Simmons 2016 : Jayson Tatum 2017 : Michael Porter Girls 1986 : Susan Anderson 1987 : Kris Durham 1988 : Vicki Hall 1989 : Lisa Harrison 1990 : Lisa Leslie 1991 : Michelle Marciniak 1992 : Katie Smith 1993 : La'Keshia Frett 1994 : Monick Foote 1995 : Stephanie White 1996 : Jamie Walz 1997 : Nikki Teasley 1998 : Tamika Williams 1999 : Nicole Kaczmarski 2000 : Shereka Wright 2001 : Shyra Ely 2002 : Ann Strother 2003 : Candace Parker 2004 : Candace Parker 2005 : Abby Waner 2006 : Tina Charles 2007 : Maya Moore 2008 : Nneka Ogwumike 2009 : Skylar Diggins 2010 : Chiney Ogwumike 2011 : Kaleena Mosqueda - Lewis 2012 : Breanna Stewart 2013 : Mercedes Russell 2014 : Brianna Turner 2015 : Katie Lou Samuelson 2016 : Erin Boley 2017 : Megan Walker WNBA All - Decade Team Sue Bird Tamika Catchings Cynthia Cooper Yolanda Griffith Lauren Jackson Lisa Leslie Katie Smith Dawn Staley Sheryl Swoopes Tina Thompson Honorable mention : Ruthie Bolton Chamique Holdsclaw Ticha Penicheiro Diana Taurasi Teresa Weatherspoon Women 's National Basketball Association 's Top 15 Team Sue Bird Tamika Catchings Cynthia Cooper Yolanda Griffith Becky Hammon Lauren Jackson Lisa Leslie Ticha Penicheiro Cappie Pondexter Katie Smith Dawn Staley Sheryl Swoopes Tina Thompson Diana Taurasi Teresa Weatherspoon WNBA Most Valuable Player Award winners 1997 : Cooper 1998 : Cooper 1999 : Griffith 2000 : Swoopes 2001 : Leslie 2002 : Swoopes 2003 : Jackson 2004 : Leslie 2005 : Swoopes 2006 : Leslie 2007 : Jackson 2008 : Parker 2009 : Taurasi 2010 : Jackson 2011 : Catchings 2012 : Charles 2013 : Parker 2014 : Moore 2015 : Delle Donne 2016 : Ogwumike 2017 : Fowles WNBA Finals MVPs 1997 : Cooper 1998 : Cooper 1999 : Cooper 2000 : Cooper 2001 : Leslie 2002 : Leslie 2003 : Riley 2004 : Lennox 2005 : Griffith 2006 : Nolan 2007 : Pondexter 2008 : Smith 2009 : Taurasi 2010 : Jackson 2011 : Augustus 2012 : Catchings 2013 : Moore 2014 : Taurasi 2015 : Fowles 2016 : Parker WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners 1997 : Weatherspoon 1998 : Weatherspoon 1999 : Griffith 2000 : Swoopes 2001 : Black 2002 : Swoopes 2003 : Swoopes 2004 : Leslie 2005 : Catchings 2006 : Catchings 2007 : Jackson 2008 : Leslie 2009 : Catchings 2010 : Catchings 2011 : Fowles 2012 : Catchings 2013 : Fowles 2014 : Griner 2015 : Griner 2016 : Fowles 2017 : Beard WNBA season rebounding leaders 1997 : Leslie 1998 : Leslie 1999 : Griffith 2000 : Williams 2001 : Griffith 2002 : Holdsclaw 2003 : Holdsclaw 2004 : Leslie 2005 : Ford 2006 : Ford 2007 : Jackson 2008 : Parker 2009 : Parker 2010 : Charles 2011 : Charles 2012 : Charles 2013 : Fowles 2014 : Paris 2015 : Paris 2016 : Charles 2017 : Jones WNBA All - Star Game Most Valuable Player Award 1999 : Leslie 2000 : Thompson 2001 : Leslie 2002 : Leslie 2003 : Teasley 2004 : Griffith 2005 : Swoopes 2006 : Douglas 2007 : Ford 2008 : No game 2009 : Cash 2010 : Fowles 2011 : Cash 2012 : No game 2013 : Parker 2014 : Schimmel 2015 : Moore 2016 : No game WNBA season blocks leaders 1997 : Baranova 1998 : Dydek 1999 : Dydek 2000 : Dydek 2001 : Dydek 2002 : Dydek 2003 : Dydek 2004 : Leslie 2005 : Stepanova 2006 : Dydek 2007 : Dydek 2008 : Leslie 2009 : Parker 2010 : Fowles 2011 : Fowles 2012 : Parker 2013 : Griner 2014 : Griner 2015 : Griner 2016 : Griner United States women 's squad -- 1996 Summer Olympics -- Gold medal 4 Edwards 5 Staley 6 Bolton 7 Swoopes 8 Azzi 9 Leslie 10 McGhee 11 Steding 12 McClain 13 Lobo 14 Lacy 15 McCray Coach : VanDerveer United States squad -- 1998 FIBA World Champions ( 6th Title ) 4 Williams 5 Staley 6 Bolton 7 McWilliams 8 Azzi 9 Leslie 10 Holdsclaw 11 Milton - Jones 12 Campbell 13 Wolters 14 Smith 15 McCray Coach : Fortner United States women 's squad -- 2000 Summer Olympics -- Gold medal 4 Edwards 5 Staley 6 Bolton 7 Swoopes 8 Milton - Jones 9 Leslie 10 Holdsclaw 11 Wolters 12 Williams 13 Griffith 14 Smith 15 McCray Coach : Fortner United States women 's squad -- 2002 FIBA World Champions ( 7th Title ) 4 Johnson 5 Staley 6 Bird 7 Swoopes 8 Milton - Jones 9 Leslie 10 Catchings 11 Dixon 12 Williams 13 Gillom 14 Smith 15 Phillips Coach : Chancellor United States women 's squad -- 2004 Summer Olympics -- Gold medal 4 Johnson 5 Staley 6 Bird 7 Swoopes 8 Riley 9 Leslie 10 Catchings 11 Thompson 12 Taurasi 13 Griffith 14 Smith 15 Cash Coach : Chancellor United States women 's squad -- 2008 Summer Olympics -- Gold medal 4 Pondexter 5 Augustus 6 Bird 7 Lawson 8 Milton - Jones 9 Leslie 10 Catchings 11 Thompson 12 Taurasi 13 Fowles 14 Smith 15 Parker Coach : Donovan NBA All - Star Weekend Shooting Stars Competition Winners 2004 : Los Angeles ( Lakers ) ( Fisher / Leslie / Johnson ) 2005 : Phoenix ( Marion / Taurasi / Majerle ) 2006 : San Antonio ( Parker / Wecker / Kerr ) 2007 : Detroit ( Billups / Cash / Laimbeer ) 2008 : San Antonio ( Duncan / Hammon / Robinson ) 2009 : Detroit ( Afflalo / Ka. Smith / Laimbeer ) 2010 : Texas ( Dallas / San Antonio / Houston ) ( Nowitzki / Hammon / Ke. Smith ) 2011 : Atlanta ( Horford / Miller / S. Smith ) 2012 : New York ( Fields / Pondexter / Houston ) 2013 : Team Bosh ( Bosh / Cash / Wilkins ) 2014 : Team Bosh ( Bosh / Cash / Wilkins ) 2015 : Team Bosh ( Bosh / Cash / Wilkins ) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Players Louie Dampier Spencer Haywood John Isaacs Lisa Leslie Dikembe Mutombo Jo Jo White Coaches John Calipari Lindsay Gaze Tom Heinsohn Referees Dick Bavetta Contributors George Raveling Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Players Guards Archibald Beckman Belov Bing Blazejowski Borgmann Brennan Cervi Cooper - Dyke Cousy Dampier Davies Drexler Dumars Edwards Frazier Friedman Galis Gervin Goodrich Greer Guerin Hanson Haynes Holman Hyatt Isaacs Iverson Jeannette D. Johnson E. Johnson K. Jones S. Jones Jordan Lieberman Maravich Marcari Marčiulionis Martin McDermott McGrady McGuire Meyers R. Miller Monroe Murphy Page Payton Petrović Phillip Posey Richmond Robertson Rodgers Roosma Russell Schommer Sedran Sharman Staley Steinmetz Stockton Swoopes Thomas Thompson Vandivier Wanzer West J. White Wilkens Woodard Wooden Forwards Arizin Barkley Barry Baylor Bird Bradley R. Brown Cunningham Curry Dalipagić Dantley DeBusschere Dehnert Endacott English Erving Foster Fulks Gale Gates Gola Hagan Havlicek Hawkins Hayes Haywood Heinsohn Howell G. Johnson King Lucas Luisetti K. Malone McClain B. McCracken J. McCracken McHale Mikkelsen C. Miller Mullin Pettit Pippen Pollard Ramsey Rodman Schayes E. Schmidt O. Schmidt Stokes Thompson Twyman Walker N. White Wilkes Wilkins Worthy Yardley Centers Abdul - Jabbar Barlow Beaty Bellamy Chamberlain Ćosić Cowens Crawford Daniels DeBernardi Donovan Ewing Gallatin Gilmore Gruenig Harris - Stewart Houbregs Issel W. Johnson Johnston Krause Kurland Lanier Leslie Lovellette Lapchick Macauley M. Malone McAdoo Meneghin Mikan Mourning Murphy Mutombo Olajuwon O'Neal Parish Pereira Reed Risen Robinson Russell Sabonis Sampson Semjonova Thurmond Unseld Wachter Walton Yao Coaches Alexeeva Allen Anderson Auerbach Auriemma Barmore Barry Blood Boeheim Brown Calhoun Calipari Cann Carlson Carnesecca Carnevale Carril Case Chancellor Chaney Conradt Crum Daly Dean Díaz - Miguel Diddle Drake Ferrándiz Gaines Gamba Gardner Gaze Gill Gomelsky Gunter Hannum Harshman Haskins Hatchell Heinsohn Hickey Hobson Holzman Hurley Iba Izzo Jackson Julian Keaney Keogan Knight Krzyzewski Kundla Lambert Leonard Lewis Litwack Loeffler Lonborg Magee McCutchan A. McGuire F. McGuire McLendon Meanwell Meyer Miller Moore Nelson Nikolić Novosel Olson Pitino Ramsay Richardson Riley Rubini Rupp Rush Sachs Sharman Shelton Sloan Smith Stringer Summitt Tarkanian Taylor Teague Thompson VanDerveer Wade Watts Wilkens G. Williams R. Williams Wooden Woolpert Wootten Yow Contributors Abbott Barksdale Bee Biasone H. Brown W. Brown Bunn Buss Clifton Colangelo Cooper Davidson Douglas Duer Embry Fagan Fisher Fleisher Gavitt Gottlieb Granik Gulick Harrison Hearn Henderson Hepp Hickox Hinkle Irish Jones Kennedy Knight Lemon Liston Lloyd McLendon Mokray Morgan Morgenweck Naismith Newell Newton J. O'Brien L. O'Brien Olsen Podoloff Porter Raveling Reid Reinsdorf Ripley Sanders Saperstein Schabinger St. John Stagg Stanković Steitz Stern Taylor Tower Trester Vitale Wells Wilke Winter Zollner Referees Bavetta Enright Garretson Hepbron Hoyt Kennedy Leith Mihalik Nichols Nucatola Quigley Rudolph Shirley Strom Tobey Walsh Teams 1960 United States Olympic Team 1992 United States Olympic Team All - American Red Heads Buffalo Germans The First Team Harlem Globetrotters Immaculata College New York Renaissance Original Celtics Texas Western Women 's Basketball Hall of Fame Based in Knoxville, Tennessee Coaches ( 49 ) Lidia Alexeyeva Leta Andrews Geno Auriemma Leon Barmore Breezy Bishop Gary Blair Joanne Bracker Kurt Budke Van Chancellor Joe Ciampi Jody Conradt Lin Dunn Nancy Fahey Jim Foster Fran Garmon Dorothy Gaters Gail Goestenkors Theresa Grentz Sue Gunter Sylvia Hatchell John Head Jill Hutchison Sonja Hogg Rick Insell Andy Landers Lin L. Laursen Muffet McGraw Sandra Meadows Billie Moore Lorene Ramsey Harley Redin Cathy Rush Debbie Ryan Amy Ruley Linda K. Sharp Marsha Sharp Jim Smiddy Brad Smith Marianne Crawford Stanley Barbara Stevens C. Vivian Stringer Pat Head Summitt Edna Tarbutton Bertha Teague Tara VanDerveer Margaret Wade Marian Washington Dean Weese Chris Weller Dixie Woodall Kay Yow Contributors ( 20 ) Val Ackerman Senda Abbott Mildred Barnes Patty Broderick E. Wayne Cooley Carol Eckman Betty Jo Graber Christine Grant Mel Greenberg Mimi Griffin Phyllis Holmes Claude Hutcherson Betty Jaynes George E. Killian Darlene May Shin - Ja Park Lea Plarski Gloria Ray Robin Roberts Borislav Stankovic William L. Wall Charlotte West Marcy Weston Players ( 57 ) Janeth Arcain Jennifer Azzi Carol Blazejowski Ruthie Bolton Cindy Brogdon Vicky Bullett Daedra Charles - Furlow Cynthia Cooper Denise Curry Andrea Lloyd - Curry Clarissa Davis - Wrightsil Anne Donovan Nancy Dunkle Michelle Edwards Teresa Edwards Kamie Ethridge Jennifer Gillom Peggie Gillom - Granderson Bridgette Gordon Yolanda Griffith Janet Harris Lusia Harris - Stewart Tara Heiss Pamela Kelly - Flowers Janice Lawrence Braxton Lisa Leslie Nancy Lieberman Kelli Litsch Rebecca Lobo Hortência Marcari Katrina McClain Johnson Suzie McConnell - Serio Nikki McCray Pamela McGee Ann Meyers - Drysdale Cheryl Miller Pearl Moore Kim Mulkey Inge Nissen Cindy Noble Hauserman Jasmina Perazić LaTaunya Pollard Jennifer Rizzotti Patricia Roberts Susan Rojcewicz Jill Rankin Schneider Uljana Semjonova Maria Paula Gonçalves da Silva Juliene Brazinski Simpson Bev Smith Annette Smith - Knight Dawn Staley Olga Sukharnova Sheryl Swoopes Michele Timms Vanya Voynova Rosie Walker Holly Warlick Teresa Weatherspoon Sue Wicks Kara Wolters Lynette Woodard Veterans ( 12 ) Alline Banks Sprouse Joan Crawford Margaret Sexton Gleaves Rita Horky Patsy Neal Lometa Odom Doris Rogers Lurlyne Greer Rogers Hazel Walker Katherine Washington Ora Washington Nera White VIAF : 1744684 LCCN : n96120911 IATH : w64c5f21 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Leslie&oldid=815081326 '' Categories : 1972 births Living people African - American basketball players American women 's basketball players Centers ( basketball ) Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players from California Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year Los Angeles Sparks players Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Gardena, California Sportspeople from Los Angeles University of Phoenix alumni USC Trojans women 's basketball players Women 's National Basketball Association All - Stars Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from November 2015 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano עברית Latviešu Македонски Malagasy Nederlands 日本 語 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Polski Português Русский Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 12 December 2017, at 17 : 22. 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Question: who was the first woman to dunk in the wnba
Answer: Lisa Deshaun Leslie