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The Sparks Background: Basketball superstar hailed from Gardena, California Lisa Leslie is best recognized as the center player of the Los Angeles Spark and has helped the team capture two consecutive WNBA Championships in 2001 and 2002. One of WNBA's most top-performing and favorite players, she created a history in 2002 for being the first player to dunk in a professional career and has been named MVP of WNBA three times (2001, 2002 and 2006). As a member of the U.S. women's basketball team, Leslie, who played college basketball for USC, enjoyed gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greek. On whether there might be another Olympic participation at the 2008 Games, she said, “I feel I'm young enough, and that I haven't peaked as a player. But it's hard for me to think about suiting up without Dawn and Sheryl. When there was a question as to whether Sheryl would play due to her knee problems, I literally ran over and hugged her when I saw her at the airport. I just told myself that everything was definitely going to be alright with her there.” Outside of basketball, Leslie is known as a model for Wilhelmina and an occasional actress. She has also branched out to broadcasting and intends to chase a career in this field after retiring from basketball. Leslie is a supporter of breast cancer issues. She is the wife of former basketball player Michael Lockwood and has a young daughter with him.
Californian Girl
Childhood and Family: Lisa Leslie was born on July 7, 1972, in Gardena, California, to Christine Leslie-Espinoza, a former cross-country truck driver. She has two sisters and five brothers, one of whom is a half brother. Lisa started playing basketball in the middle school. After graduating from Morningside High School in Los Angeles, she attended the University of Southern California and earned her degree in 1994. In 2002, she revisited school to work on a Master's Degree in Business Administration. On November 5, 2005, Lisa married pilot and ex-Air Force basketball player Michael Lockwood in Maui. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Lauren Jolie Lockwood, on June 15, 2007 in Los Angeles. The baby weighted 8 lbs. 11 oz.
In and Outside Court
Career: Discovering a knack on basketball in middle school, Lisa Leslie soon emerged as a superior player with Morningside High School and led the team to two state championships. She differentiated herself by scoring 101 points in the first half of a high school basketball game and received a number of honors for her brilliant work, including the 1989 Dial Award for female American high-school athlete/scholar of the year and the 1990 Gatorade Girls Basketball National Player of the Year. The Californian native went on to pursue college career with the University of Southern California, during which she made several records in rebounds and points at the Pacific Ten Conference. In 1996, Leslie joined the U.S. women's basketball team for the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, which ended up nabbing the gold medal. A year later, she entered a professional career as a part of the Los Angeles Sparks in the first season of WNBA. An outstanding center, Leslie dominated the WNBA in rebounds for two consecutive years in 1997 and 1998, but failed to bring any league's championships for the Sparks throughout the late 1990s. Entering the new millennium, Leslie once again became a member of the gold-medal winning Olympic team in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. One notable moment arrived in the next year when she eventually led the Sparks to their first WNBA triumph after beating the Charlotte Sting in the final rounds. 2001 also saw her pick up the WNBA MVP, the all-star game MPV and the finals MVP. With these three honors in the same season, Leslie became the first player ever to reach the spot in the history of WNBA. Leslie's profile continue to boost in 2002 when she helped the Spark retain their victory in the world championship and was named MVP of the WNBA Championship, All-Star Game and the Finals. In the 2002 USA World Championships, in which she was part of the winner's team, Leslie was awarded with the MVP and All-Tournament team honors. The year also saw the superb player become the first woman to slam-dunk in a WNBA game. She spent the 2002 off-season pursuing her master's degree. Returning to Olympic Games, Leslie helped the U.S. team acquire their next gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greek. By this period, she had collected 4,000 career points. The following year, she once again scored a dunk in the closing seconds of the 2005 WNBA All Star Game, which marked the second dunk in her career and the second dunk in the WNBA's history. She gained her third MVP of the WNBA in 2006. Due to pregnancy, Leslie was absent from the 2007 WNBA season. Outside the court, Leslie is an aspiring actress and fashion model. In 1976's “Pipe Dreams,” a drama film directed and written by Stephen Verona and starring Gladys Knight, she played the small role of Maryalyce, and twenty six years later, she guested as Rochelle in an episode of the comedy series “One on One.” In between the gigs, she made self-appearances in several TV series, including “Moesha,” “Sister, Sister” and “The Jersey.” As a Wilhelmina model since 1996, Leslie has appeared in Vogue magazine, where she posed along side four other Olympic athletes for Herb Ritts, and has worked for clients like Tommy Hilfiger, Gigi Hunter, Armani and Anne Klein. Thinking to spend time in broadcasting field after her basketball career is over, Leslie has made color commentary for various University of Southern California basketball games and has served as a guest correspondent on ESPN and NBA Inside Stuff.
Awards:
MVP of WNBA Championship: 2006 MVP of WNBA Championship: 2002 MVP of All-Star Game: 2002 USA World Championships: MVP and All-Tournament team honors, 2002 MVP of WNBA Championship: 2001 Olympic Gold Medalist: 1996, 2000, 2004
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