Dan Cortese and Lisa Leslie on "The Superstars"
A rare combination of power, grace, beauty and style, Lisa Leslie is one of the most recognized faces in the history of women's sports. She is only one of a handful of players who have competed since the WNBA's inaugural year in 1997, and has changed the course of history in more ways than one. In 2002 she became the first player to dunk in a women's professional basketball game, a cornerstone of the WNBA, helping guide the Sparks to two WNBA titles and being named the league's MVP three times.
Leslie is the first basketball player (not just woman) to win four consecutive gold medals in basketball. In 2001 she became the first female player and the fourth professional basketball player to win all three major awards in a single season, including All-Star MVP, WNBA MVP and WNBA Finals MVP Awards, joining Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan and Willis Reed in this prestigious category.
Her influence is recognized off the court as well. She was named 2002 Woman of the Year by MS. Magazine, and an "Influential Woman" by The Women's Museum. After competing in each of the WNBA's first 10 seasons, she sat out the 2007 campaign due to pregnancy and gave birth to her first child, Lauren Jolie Lockwood, on June 15, 2007. Leslie returned to action on opening day in 2008.