Sparks unveil statue honoring Lisa Leslie outside Crypto.com Arena

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES () — For many young girls looking to enter the world of sports Lisa Leslie was the icon they all looked up to. Now, the Los Angeles Sparks unveiled a new statue of Leslie that will be outside of Crypto.com Arena.

For years, Lisa Leslie made history on the court and on Sunday, she got a place in history right outside of the arena she played.

“I wanted to make sure that my statue represented a fearless competitor,” Leslie said at Sunday’s unveiling ceremony. “Obviously, we know the dunk is iconic, but I also wanted her to be feminine in the way that I am. So she has the ribbons…and her nails are polished…my family probably hasn’t noticed the details yet, but their names are on it as well.”

Leslie played all 12 seasons of her professional career with the L.A. Sparks and now her statue stands just outside Crypto.com Arena. Her likeness joins other L.A. sports legends, including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — making Leslie the first woman with a statue in Star Plaza.

“There are over 5,000 statues all over America and there are less than 10% that honor women. So, seeing your likeness enshrined here, carries meaning far, far beyond basketball.,” said Leslie’s husband Michael Lockwood.

And the resume is long. Four Olympic gold medals, three WNBA MPVPs, two championships and the first player to dunk in a WNBA game — just to name a few.

Leslie didn’t just play the game. She helped shape it.

“All the hard work we as athletes do, is nice to be rewarded with something very, very special. And you had to be that special athlete, so, smooth without a doubt,” Lakers legend Michael Cooper said.

“She’s the first woman to have her statue among all these greats, which makes it great. Now girls that are in high school wishing to go to the WNBA, which is something, when I was in high school, we didn’t have that option,” said actor and comedian Leslie Jones.

“It’s not just about today, but it’s about the future. Future of women’s sports and just the young girls and boys that walk by, there’s a lot of men out here who are amazing, but now there’s also an amazing woman out here — It’s me and I’m excited,” Leslie said.