Lisa Leslie to be honored with statue outside Los Angeles arena

The three-time WNBA MVP is the second WNBA player to receive a statue and will be the first WNBA player commemorated at Crypto.com Arena.

The former Los Angeles Sparks player Lisa Leslie will be honored with a statue outside the city’s Crypto.com Arena.

The Compton-born basketball star, who was the first ever to dunk in a WNBA game, will join the other 15 statues outside the arena, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. The ceremony will take place on site on Sept. 20.

Leslie, 53, told the Los Angeles Times that this distinction was completely unexpected, saying it had never been on her bucket list.

“I grew up seeing the statues of some of the amazing Lakers, so I’m just really grateful to be alive and to be one of the first, especially in the WNBA for L.A. Sparks,” she told the publication. “It means a lot to me, and I’m really hoping that our community will really rally around it.”

During her 12-season run, Leslie played for the Sparks, earning MVP three times as well as the Sparks’ first two WNBA championships. She’s also a four-time Olympic gold medalist, representing Team USA in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. When she retired from the game in 2009, the team retired her No. 9 jersey.

Leslie will be the second WNBA player to receive the honor. The first was Sue Bird, who was given a statue in Washington to commemorate her contributions to Seattle Storm.

“To be cemented in Los Angeles, the city that raised me, I couldn’t be more proud to be a role model forever!” Leslie 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. 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.”