Lisa Leslie is honored at halftime during the game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Portland Fire at Crypto.com Arena on September 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
Hall of Fame basketball player Lisa Leslie poses next to her newly unveiled statue prior to the game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Portland Fire at Crypto.com Arena on September 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
Lisa Leslie is honored at halftime during the game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Portland Fire at Crypto.com Arena on September 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
Tonie Morgan #4 of the Los Angeles Sparks blocks a layup by Jordan Harrison #2 of the Portland Fire during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on September 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
A view of the newly unveiled statue of Hall of Fame basketball player Lisa Leslie prior to the game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Portland Fire at Crypto.com Arena on September 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Griffin C. Hooper/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — The First Lady of the Los Angeles Sparks, legend Lisa Leslie, was honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena ahead of Sunday’s game against the Portland Fire.
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“I am beyond happy with how beautiful The First Lady looks because they really listened to me,” Leslie told the Southern California News Group, adding that she is interested in rejoining the Sparks’ ownership group.
The Sparks, who had five players reach double figures in the scoring column, celebrated Leslie’s bronzed likeness with a 105-84 win over Portland.
That’s history,” said Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike when asked why the players made a point to attend the nearly two-hour-long ceremony before the game. “I’m very adamant about players coming in and knowing their history. That’s something that we can’t let go of.”
The Sparks improved to 16-26 overall, moving up to ninth in the league standings with two games left in the regular season. Ogwumike led the way with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Rae Burrell scored 20 points. Ariel Atkins scored 14 points. Rookie Chance Gray scored a career-high 11 points. Emma Cannon scored 10 points in the first half.
“Always stay ready so I don’t have to get ready,” Cannon said. “This is something I’m used to.
“She’s been tremendous for two years,” added Sparks coach Lynne Roberts when asked about Cannon’s performance. “Just the ultimate professional. All about the team.”
Ogwumike reached 8,000 points in her WNBA career on a putback layup, which gave the home team a 38-31 lead with 5:59 left in the second quarter. Ogwumike is the fourth player in league history to reach that milestone.
Forwards Cameron Brink (ankle), Dearica Hamby (knee), and guard Aaliyah Nye (ankle) all missed the game with injuries. Cannon replaced Hamby in the starting lineup.
Cannon’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer put the Sparks up 60-41 at halftime. Burrell scored 13 points in the first half.
Portland (16-27, 10th) was led by second-year guard Carla Leite with a game-high 23 points. Former UCLA guard Charisman Osborne scored 13 points. Megan DiLeo scored 11 points. Emily Engstler added 10 points.
The Sparks swept the season series 3-0 against the Fire. However, both teams were eliminated from playoff contention last month.
Lisa Leslie told me she’s is beyond happy with how her Los Angeles Sparks statue, dubbed “The First Lady” turned out in front of https://t.co/hXoGl5e01d Arena, known as Staples Center when she led the franchise to consecutive WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002. pic.twitter.com/2AFhhsx77J
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— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Leslie’s 11-foot-tall bronze statue with a granite base, adorned with her signature lipstick, ribbons, and polished nails, commemorates her as the first player in WNBA history to dunk in 2002.
“LA is everything to me because it’s the root of who I am,” Leslie explained.
The Compton native and former Inglewood Morningside High and USC star is the first player in team history to have a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena.
“I wanted to make sure that this statue was a perfect blend of fearlessness and the competitor that I was, I am and will always be,” Leslie said after her statue was unveiled.
“Being able to witness not just her ceremony,” Ogwumike said, “but all of the people that were there for her I think is incredibly important because it may be an introduction to some players when it comes to the legacy that one person has created and it creates an intersection of people and experiences and stories that will not remain untold.”
Sparks owner Magic Johnson said Leslie was known for leaving everything she had on the court, especially when she led the franchise to consecutive league titles in 2001 and 2002.
“To be able to get a statue here at Crypto, you have to dominate on the court,” Sparks owner Magic Johnson said. “You have to make history on the court and, last but not least, you definitely have to win championships, and when we think about Lisa, back-to-back championships she brought to the Sparks and to Los Angeles, but Lisa, the history-making is what I’m really impressed with.”
Johnson’s Showtime Lakers teammate and former Sparks coach Michael Cooper said he was glad to be there to celebrate his star player.
“I’m proud of you,” former Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. “I’m proud to have coached you, and I’m proud that Los Angeles gets to celebrate you in a way that will last forever.”
Rookie guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda scored her first career points via two free throws in the first quarter. Mwenentanda, who finished with six points, is currently on a developmental player contract and was signed in late August, after previously playing for the Golden State Valkyries.
The Sparks will play their final road game of the season against the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday. They will host Golden State in a season finale on Thursday.
Lisa Leslie’s new statue outside https://t.co/St97l2sPKI arena features her dunking with lipstick and nail polish.
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She said she was proud of those details. pic.twitter.com/Z9aSXj2xzk
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 20, 2026