| Lisa Leslie |
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Lisa Leslie (born July 7 , 1972 in Gardena, California ) is an American Women's National Basketball Association player currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks . One of the original WNBA players, she quickly rose to stardom as one of the league's most top-performing and popular players. She has won two WNBA Championships . She has also made history by becoming the first player to perform a Dunk in that league. HIGH SCHOOL YEARS Leslie became a famous Basketball player long before her career in the WNBA began. The daughter of a female truck driver and sibling of two sisters, she was quite tall even in her youth, already standing six feet tall (1.83 m) when she started playing basketball in the seventh grade. She was a dominating player made legendary by scoring 101 points in the first half of a high school basketball game, and might have broken Cheryl Miller 's high school record of 105 points if the other team had not forfeited at halftime. Among her many accolades in high school, Leslie was named the 1990 Gatorade Girls Basketball National Player of the Year. COLLEGE YEARS Lisa Leslie attended the University Of Southern California . She was a four time All-Pacific 10 Conference first team selection. WNBA CAREER Leslie was one of the original members of the Los Angeles Sparks when the WNBA's first season opened in 1997 . She had stated her intentions of dunking in a game before the first season even started, and she tried to dunk the ball on the first game of that season, against the New York Liberty , but she missed. and Lisa Leslie play each other to a draw with Leslie winning MVP honors]] Throughout the late 1990s , the Sparks kept making the playoffs, but getting eliminated as the Houston Comets claimed every WNBA championship played in that decade. However, in 2001 , the Sparks were finally able to topple the Comets, and they beat the Charlotte Sting to win the WNBA title for the first time. In 2001, she was named MVP of the league, the All-star Game and the Finals . On July 30 of 2002 , against the Miami Sol , she finally became the first woman to score with a dunk in a WNBA game. Teammate Latasha Byears stole the ball, while Leslie was already past half court. Byers' outlet pass led Leslie towards the open basket running. Leslie then jumped towards the hoop and with one hand, dunked. The Staples Center crowd, and her teammates erupted into a spontaneous celebration that stopped the game for a few minutes. Eight days before, she had become the first WNBA player to have over 3,000 career points, when she scored 24 points against the Orlando Miracle . That summer, she helped the Sparks to their second straight world championship, beating the Liberty. Her WNBA dunk is the only one in WNBA history. On July 29 of 2004 , she reached the milestone of 4,000 career points, scoring 17 points in an 85-80, double overtime victory over the Sacramento Monarchs . INTERNATIONAL CAREER Leslie has also been a member of the United States ' national women's basketball team. She helped lead them to gold medals in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games , and in the world championships of basketball. Leslie was a member of the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winner United States women's national basketball team. OFF THE COURT Leslie is also a fashion model and aspiring Actress on the side. During the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in 2005 Lisa worked on the air for ESPN adding key insight and commentary. Early in her WNBA career, she signed a contract with the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency . She has also appeared in an episode of '' The Jersey '', as well as various commercials. She once appeared in an episode of The Simpsons , and was portrayed with an exaggerated, tall figure. VITAL STATISTICS
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Led the WNBA in rebounds in 1997 (9.5 rpg) and 1998 (10.2 rpg)
PERSONAL BIO
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