Lisa Leslie & Star Plaza Immortalized Ledger
On Sunday, Los Angeles immortalized 2x WNBA Champion Lisa Leslie with a bronze monument outside Crypto.com Arena, marking the very first female athlete statue in Star Plaza history. Explore the courtyard, inspect milestone data, and run direct career dominance comparisons.
Star Plaza Courtyard Layout
11th St & Figueroa entrance • Interactive pedestal diagramLisa Leslie
Kobe Bryant
The Historic Precedent
Lisa Leslie’s statue outside Crypto.com Arena represents the first monument dedicated to a female athlete in Star Plaza, alongside iconic Lakers and Kings figures including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Wayne Gretzky.
The Signature Pose
The statue commemorates her iconic smooth one-handed finish and championship dominance that guided the Sparks to back-to-back WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002, as well as the league's inaugural in-game dunk on July 30, 2002.
Star Plaza Pantheon
Since Magic Johnson’s bronze monument was unveiled in 2004, Star Plaza has served as the physical hall of immortality for Los Angeles sports legends. Leslie’s induction joins 13 franchise giants.
Why is this Star Plaza addition groundbreaking for women's basketball?
Before Sunday, all bronze sculptures surrounding Star Plaza commemorated male champions (Lakers icons, Kings hockey legends, and broadcaster Chick Hearn). As a founding marquee superstar of the WNBA in 1997, 3-time league MVP, and 4-time Olympic gold medalist, Leslie set the benchmark for global center play and Los Angeles championship culture.
What verifiable career statistics define Lisa Leslie's resume?
Leslie spent her entire 12-season WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks (1997–2009). She amassed 6,263 points (17.3 PPG), 3,307 rebounds (9.1 RPG), and 822 blocks (2.3 BPG), winning 2 WNBA Championships, 2 WNBA Finals MVPs, 3 Regular Season MVPs, and 4 consecutive Olympic Gold Medals with Team USA (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008).