Lisa Leslie's Legacy Immortalized in Los Angeles

Now Leslie’s legacy has a permanent place in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Sparks honored Leslie with a 11’ bronze statue, on top of a 4-1⁄2’ granite base. The statue's weight is 750lbs of bronze and 2600lbs of granite. The sculpture captures the moment Leslie made history as the first player to dunk in the WNBA.

The statue is called “The First Lady." Leslie wanted the statue to demonstrate the importance of being a lady in a male-dominated sport. Leslie worked with her team to make sure all the details of that day were captured in the sculpture.

“I wanted little girls to see my ribbons when I played, because I wanted them to be able to see themselves in me,” Leslie said.

This moment means more than a statue, it represents the legacy Leslie left for the new generation of little girls and boys dreaming of being professional basketball players.

Leslie’s journey in basketball was not an easy road. Growing up in Compton until the age of 8 then moving around LA county, Leslie had a dream and with her hard work she was able to make history.