By Jay Conner, The Root
The Star Plaza outside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles is about to get a little more crowded, as two-time WNBA champion Lisa Leslie is set to become the first female athlete to be honored with a statue outside of the arena.
According to Bleacher Report, while a specific date has yet to be determined, the Los Angeles Sparks and Anschutz Entertainment Group have agreed to immortalize the WNBA icon with her own statue.
“We look forward to sitting down with Sparks ownership to negotiate a new lease for the 2020 WNBA season and beyond,” Lee Zeidman, president of Staples Center, Microsoft Theater and LA Live, told the LA Times. “In addition, we plan to discuss the timing and placement of a permanent statue at Staples Center honoring one of the great all-time WNBA players, Lisa Leslie.”
Over the course of her illustrious WNBA career, Leslie was a three-time WNBA MVP, a two-time WNBA champion and Finals MVP, an eight-time All-Star and three-time All-Star game MVP—and a four-time Olympic gold medalist, according to the Times.
She also once dropped 101 points by halftime for the Morningside High School Monarchs and was the first player to ever dunk in a WNBA game.
A statue celebrating one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport is long overdue, and there isn’t a female athlete more deserving of such a prestigious honor.
This article originally appeared in The Root.
