Sparks legend Lisa Leslie shares honest reflection on 30 years of WNBA

Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lisa Leslie is still a legend in more ways than one.

The Basketball Hall of Famer showed up at Sunday’s game between her former team and the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, not just to show support for the Sparks, but for all of women’s basketball, as the WNBA celebrates 30 years of its foundation.

“I’m amazed that it’s 30 years ago and so thankful to all these fans who still come out and support us,” Leslie shared in an interview with Jill Painter Lopez of Sports Central LA before the contest.

The three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player also addressed the crowd and everyone in the building, reflecting on the league’s essence.

“We understood the assignment, because the assignment was not just to represent ourselves, the 53-year-old Leslie said. “It was to represent every little girl who looked like us, who wanted to be us.”

Without a doubt, the eight-time WNBA All-Star played a big role not just in the success of the Sparks franchise, but in growing women’s professional basketball.

Leslie, whose No. 9 jersey was retired by the Sparks, played her entire WNBA career from 1997 to 2009 with Los Angeles.

In 363 games played, the former USC Trojans star and native of Compton, California, averaged 17.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 47.0 percent from the field.

Surely, Leslie wants the Sparks to have the same success again that the franchise enjoyed during her time in the WNBA.

Los Angeles last won a WNBA title in 2016 and missed the playoffs in each of the previous five seasons.

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