Lisa Leslie

NOTE: As of November 11, 2008

• Printable (PDF) Bio

USA Basketball Notes

Gold Medals: 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2008 Olympics; 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament; 1998 & 2002 World Championships; 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup; 1994 Goodwill Games; 1993 World Championship Qualifying Tournament; 1992 R. William Jones Cup; 1991 World University Games.

Silver Medal: 2008 Good Luck Beijing Tournament.

Bronze Medal: 1994 World Championship.

Honors: 2002 FIBA World Championship MVP; 1993, 1998 and 2002 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

• One of eight USA Basketball three-time Olympians, which includes Anne Donovan, Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain, David Robinson, Katie Smith, Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes; and, along with five-time Olympian Edwards, is only one of two U.S. Olympic basketball players to compete in four Olympiads.
• Member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that captured the USA's fourth consecutive gold medal with a perfect 8-0 record; started all eight games and averaged 10.1 ppg. and a team second-best 7.0 rpg., while being credited for a team-high 11 blocked shots.
• Led the U.S. with a team-high 16 points against Mali and led or was tied as the team's top rebounder in four contests.
• Aided the USA National Team to the 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball gold medal and a 3-0 slate prior to the Olympics against Latvia and eventual Olympic bronze and silver medalists Russia and Australia, respectively; started all three games and averaged 10.0 ppg. and a team-high (tie) 5.7 rpg. Posted team-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds in the USA's 71-67 gold medal victory over Australia.
• Aided the USA to a 4-2 mark and the silver medal at the 2008 Good Luck Beijing Tournament, averaged USA team second bests of 14.7 ppg. and 7.8 rpg.
• Returned to the court after taking a year off to give birth to her daughter, Lauren, for the 2007 USA College Tour and posted eight points, 10 boards and a pair of assists in the USA's opening contest against Maryland on Oct. 31.
• Started all eight games of the College Tour and averaged 14.1 ppg., 8.1 rpg. and 2.4 bpg.
• Named to the 2007-08 USA Basketball Women's National Team on Oct. 29, 2007.
• In 2004 led the U.S. team in scoring, both during its exhibition schedule and at the '04 Athens Olympics. In leading the squad to the gold medal stand, averaged 15.6 ppg. and 8.0 rpg. and was the USA's high scorer in three of eight contests.
• In 2002 competed in her third World Championship and walked away with the MVP award. Leading the U.S. squad in scoring and rebounding, she ranked fourth among all competitors and tied for third in rebounds with averages of 17.2 points and 8.1 rebounds an outing.
• Has posted double-digit scoring averages in every major international event she has competed.
• Leading scorer and rebounder of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team that rolled to an 8-0 record and won the gold medal in Sydney; Leslie also led the 1999-2000 USA National Team to a 38-2 record, along with the 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup and the USA Basketball International Invitational titles, leading up to the Games.
• Leading scorer of the gold medal winning 1998 USA World Championship Team, which finished with a perfect 9-0 record and was named the 1998 USA Basketball Team of the Year. Prior to the start of the Worlds, aided the U.S. to a 12-1 record in its 13-game 1998 pre-World Championship tour.
• Finished as the leading scorer of the gold medal winning 1996 USA Olympic and the historic 1995-96 USA Basketball Women's National teams that compiled a combined 60-0 record and were named the 1996 U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Basketball Team of the Year.
• Was a member of the 1999 USA Basketball Women's Winter European Tour Team that compiled a 4-1 record; competed on the 1989 USA Junior World Championship team and toured Canada with the 1990 USA Junior National Team.
• Was the youngest participant at the 1992 USA Olympic Trials.

USA Basketball Records

• Closed out her fourth Olympic competition ranking as the USA's all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker after compiling 488 points, 241 rebounds and 36 blocked shots in four Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008), while ranking fourth for assists (45) and sixth for steals (35).
• Scored a USA Olympic single-game record 35 points versus Japan (7/31/96), and owns three of the USA's top 10 single-game scoring performances; also owns or shares the USA's single-game top spots for field goals made (16), field goal percentage (7-7, 1.000), and blocked shots (3).
• Scored a USA Olympic competition record 156 points (19.5 ppg.) in 1996 and owns the second and third spots on that list with 126 points (15.8 ppg.) in 2000 and 125 points (15.6 ppg.) in 2004; owns the top two competition records for blocked shots and is tied for third with Anne Donovan on that list, swatted a USA record 14 (1.8 bpg.) in 2004, recorded 11 (1.4 bpg.) blocks in 2008 and had nine (1.1 bpg.) in 2000.
• On the World Championship stage, ranks second and third for most points at a single Worlds with 155 points (17.2 ppg.) in 2002 and 154 points (17.1 ppg.) in 1998, ranks second with 79 (8.8 rpg.) rebounds in 1998, and twice blocked a USA fifth-best eight shots (1998 and 2002).
• Owns the USA's World Championship single-game record for most field goals attempted with 20 (vs. Russia, 9/25/02) and is tied for best field goal percentage with a perfect 6-of-6 (vs. Japan, 5/26/98).
• Among individual USA World Championship career leaders, owns the top spots for points with 393 (15.1 ppg.) and rebounds with 190 (7.3 rpg.) and second for blocked shots with 17 (0.7 bpg.) complied over three World Championships (1994, 1998 and 2002).
• Additionally, Leslie posted the highest USA Goodwill Games field goal percentage in a single competition after shooting 71.8 percent (28-39 FGs) in 1994.

Professional Notes:

WNBA

• Signed: by the WNBA and assigned to the Los Angeles Sparks on Jan. 22, 1997.
• WNBA MVP: 2001, 2004, 2006
• WNBA Finals MVP: 2001, 2002
• WNBA Titles: 2001, 2002
• All-WNBA first team: 1997, 2000-2004, 2006, 2008
• All-WNBA second team: 1998, 1999, 2005
• All-Star Game MVP: 1999, 2001, 2002
• All-Star Games: 1999-2003, 2005, 2006
• WNBA All-Decade Team: 1997-06
• Defensive Player of the Year: 2004
• WNBA All-Defensive first team: 2006
• All-Defensive second team: 2005
• WNBA Player of the Week honors: 14 (league record)
• Through the 2008 season, ranks first among the league's all-time leaders for points (5,909) and rebounds (3,156), third for rebounds averaged (9.3 rpg.), second for blocked shots (789) and blocked shots averaged (2.32 bpg.), eighth for points averaged (17.4 ppg.), sixth for steals (476) and 12th for assists (825).
• Averaged 15.1 ppg., 8.9 rpg., 2.9 bpg., 2.4 apg. and 1.5 spg. in 2008 as Los Angeles finished with a 20-14 mark, upping their win total by 10 from 2007, and advanced to the WNBA Western Conference Playoffs.
• Gave birth to her daughter Lauren Jolie Lockwood on June 15, 2007, and missed the entire 2007 WNBA season.
• Averaged 19.8 ppg. and 8.0 rpg. throughout the 2002 WNBA playoffs, collected WNBA Finals MVP honors after leading the Sparks to their second straight title.
• Aided the Sparks in 2001 to a 28-4 record en route to a WNBA title, averaged 22.3 ppg., 12.3 rpg., 4.4 bpg., and 3.0 apg.; in the 2001 WNBA playoffs and recorded 35 points, 16 rebounds, seven blocked shots in the Sparks' 93-62 victory over the Charlotte Sting in the final contest.
• Finished the 2002 season as one of only two players to average a double-double after posting averages of 16.9 ppg. and 10.4 rpg. in leading the Sparks to a 25-7 record and a first place finish in the Western Conference.
• Became the first person to dunk in a WNBA game after doing so against Miami on July 30, 2002.
• In 2003, despite missing 11 games following an injury in the All-Star Game, helped the Sparks to a 24-10 record and LA advanced through the playoffs to the finals; averaged a double-double of 18.4 ppg. and 10.0 rpg. through the season, led her squad in the playoffs, averaging 20.8 ppg. and 8.9 rpg.
• Was a member of the 1998 and 1997 WNBA All-Star teams that toured Brazil and Europe.

International

• EuroCup title: 2006
• Aided Spartak Moscow Region to the 2006 EuroCup crown, averaged 17.5 ppg. and 10.6 rpg. in eight playoff games.
• Competed during the 1994-95 season in Alcamo, Italy, for Sicilgesso, averaged 22.6 ppg. and 11.7 rpg.

College Notes:

• During her four years, the University of Southern California posted an 89-31 overall record, made four NCAA Tournaments, advanced as far as the Elite Eight in 1992 and 1994 and won one Pacific 10 Conference championship.
• Unanimously voted the 1994 National Player of the Year as a senior and earned 1991 National Freshman of the Year honors in her rookie season.
• Earned All-America honors in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and was named to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team all four years, becoming the first player in Pac-10 history to receive all-conference first team honors four times.
• Named as the 1991 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

Personal Notes:

• Born on July 7, 1972 in Gardena, Calif., she hails from Inglewood and played her prep career at Morningside High School.
• Married to Michael Lockwood on Nov. 5, 2005.
• Published her bio