FILE PHOTO: Sep 1, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Triplets coach Lisa Leslie talks with Triplets guard Jamario Moon (8) during the Big3 Championship game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Sparks legend Lisa Leslie will become the first female athlete honored with a statue outside the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
No date has been set for the unveiling, according to the report.
Leslie led the Sparks to WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002, earning Finals MVP honors both years.
She spent her entire career with Los Angeles (1997-2006, 2008-09), averaging 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots in 363 games.
The three-time league MVP and eight-time All-Star was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The 6-foot-5 center also won four consecutive Olympic gold medals with Team USA from 1996-2008.
Leslie, 47, will be the 11th individual to have a statue erected in Star Plaza, joining the likes of Lakers legends Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NHL icon Wayne Gretzky and boxer Oscar De La Hoya.
—Field Level Media