Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Lisa Leslie
How Lisa Leslie built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Lisa Leslie is a celebrated former professional basketball player, known for her groundbreaking dunk in a 2002 WNBA game. She also served as the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 league and as a studio analyst for the Orlando Magic. In 2021, she was recognized as one of the WNBA's greatest players of all time, ranking fifth on ESPN.com's list, cementing her legacy in the sport.
1987: Last Jones Cup Gold Medal before 1992
The Jones cup in 1992 was the first time the team won the Gold since 1987.
July 1989: Junior World Championship
In July 1989, Lisa Leslie participated in the second Junior World Championship held in Bilbao, Spain as a member of the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team.
1989: California State Championship
In 1989, as the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Lisa Leslie led her high school team to the California state championship.
1990: Ties National Record
In 1990, Lisa Leslie tied the national record for points scored by a high school basketball player with Cheryl Miller, scoring 101 points in the first half of a game.
1991: World University Games
In 1991, Lisa Leslie was a member of the USA team competing at the World University Games held in Sheffield, England, helping the team win a gold medal.
1991: Awards and Recognition
In 1991, Lisa Leslie was the first player in Pac-10 history to obtain first team all four years and earn the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year award. Leslie also earned the national freshman of the year award.
1992: Jones Cup Gold Medal
In 1992, Lisa Leslie competed with USA Basketball as a member of the Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei.
1992: All-American Honors
In 1992, Lisa Leslie earned All-American Honors.
1992: Youngest Player at Olympic Trials
In 1992, at age 20, Lisa Leslie was the youngest player to participate at the USA Olympic Trials.
1993: All-American Honors
In 1993, Lisa Leslie earned All-American Honors.
1994: National Player of the Year
In 1994, Lisa Leslie won multiple national player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year award, the USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award, the Honda Sports Award for basketball, and the WBCA Player of the Year award.
1996: Olympic Gold Medal
In 1996, Lisa Leslie won an Olympic gold medal playing for USA Basketball in international competition.
1996: Olympic Gold Medal and Scoring Record
In 1996, Lisa Leslie won an Olympic gold medal with the United States national women's basketball team and set an American Olympic women's scoring record with 35 points against Japan in the semifinals.
June 21, 1997: WNBA Debut
On June 21, 1997, Lisa Leslie made her WNBA debut in a game against the New York Liberty and recorded the first double-double in WNBA history.
1997: Joins the Los Angeles Sparks
In 1997, Lisa Leslie began her WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks, being the number-seven pick in the inaugural WNBA draft.
1998: FIBA World Championship
In 1998, Lisa Leslie won a FIBA World Championship playing for USA Basketball in international competition.
2000: Olympic Gold Medal
In 2000, Lisa Leslie won another Olympic gold medal playing for USA Basketball in international competition.
July 30, 2002: First WNBA Dunk
On July 30, 2002, Lisa Leslie became the first woman to dunk the ball in a WNBA game.
2002: First WNBA Dunk and Other Milestones
In 2002, Lisa Leslie became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. She also became the first WNBA player to score over 3,000 career points and contributed to the Sparks winning their second straight WNBA championship that season.
2002: FIBA World Championship
In 2002, Lisa Leslie won a FIBA World Championship playing for USA Basketball in international competition.
2004: Led U.S. Team in Scoring
During the 2004 Olympic Games, Lisa Leslie led the U.S. team in scoring.
2004: Olympic Gold Medal
In 2004, Lisa Leslie won another Olympic gold medal playing for USA Basketball in international competition.
2005: First All-Star Dunk
In the 2005 WNBA All-Star Game, Lisa Leslie became the first WNBA player to dunk in an all-star game.
2008: Returns to WNBA
In 2008, Lisa Leslie returned to the WNBA after taking a year's leave for pregnancy.
2008: Olympic Gold Medal
In 2008, Lisa Leslie won her fourth Olympic gold medal playing for USA Basketball in international competition.
February 4, 2009: Retirement Announcement
On February 4, 2009, Lisa Leslie announced her retirement effective at the end of the 2009 season.
August 11, 2009: 6,000 Career Points
On August 11, 2009, Lisa Leslie became the first player to score 6,000 points in a career.
2009: Final WNBA Game
In 2009, Lisa Leslie played her final WNBA game, which was Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Mercury.
2009: Retirement from WNBA
In 2009, Lisa Leslie retired from the WNBA after 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks.
2011: Co-owner of Los Angeles Sparks
In 2011, Lisa Leslie became a co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks.
2013: Appearance on Celebrity Wife Swap
In 2013, Lisa Leslie switched places with Downtown Julie Brown on the show Celebrity Wife Swap.
January 28, 2016: Contestant on Celebrity Apprentice
On January 28, 2016, Lisa Leslie was announced as a contestant on The New Celebrity Apprentice.
June 2018: Appearance in Uncle Drew
In June 2018, Lisa Leslie played the role of Betty Lou in the movie Uncle Drew.
2018: Studio Analyst for Orlando Magic
In 2018, Lisa Leslie joined Fox Sports Florida as a studio analyst on Orlando Magic broadcasts.
January 10, 2019: Named Coach of the Triplets
On January 10, 2019, Lisa Leslie was named coach of the Triplets, an expansion team of the BIG3 three-on-three league.
2019: BIG3 Championship
In 2019, after becoming coach of the Triplets, Lisa Leslie led the team to the BIG3 Championship.
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