What Is Lisa Leslie’s Net Worth and Salary?

Lisa Leslie, former professional women’s basketball player for the WNBA, has a net worth of $5 million. She earned a salary of $91,000 per year while playing in the league. Leslie was the first WNBA player to receive the All-Star Game MVP, regular season MVP, and playoff MVP honors in the same season in 2001. The following year, she was the WNBA Championship MVP and the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Leslie played for the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 2009 and won four gold medals as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. In 2015, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and published the autobiography “Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion” in 2008.

Aside from basketball, Leslie has also done some modeling and acting. She has appeared in several films and television series and worked as an analyst and sports commentator for ABC, NBC, and Fox Sports Net after retiring from the WNBA. Leslie earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2009 and became an investor and owner of the Sparks in 2011. In 2019, she coached the BIG3 Championship-winning men’s 3-on-3 basketball team the Triplets.

Lisa Leslie’s Early Life

Lisa Leslie was born in Compton, California, in 1972. Her father was a former professional basketball player, and her mother owned a truck driving business. She has three siblings, and her father left the family before she was born. Leslie didn’t meet him until she was 12 years old.

Leslie started playing basketball in middle school and joined a boys’ team when she transferred to a school without a girls’ team. She received over 100 college recruiting letters at age 14 and attended Morningside High School, where she led the team to two state championships and was honored with the Naismith Award as the top high school basketball player in the country.

Lisa Leslie’s College Basketball Career

After graduating from high school, Lisa Leslie attended the University of Southern California, where she played basketball and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1994. During her time at USC, Leslie set Pac-10 Conference records for scoring, blocked shots, and rebounding, and she set a school record for the most blocked shots in a season. She played in 120 basketball games and averaged 20.1 points per game.

Leslie’s success on the court helped USC win a Pac-10 championship and make it into four NCAA tournaments. She received All-Pac-10 recognition each year that she was on the team, and in 1991, she was honored with the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year award as well as the National Freshman of the Year award. Leslie won several player of the year awards in 1994, and she received All-American Honors in 1992, 1993, and 1994. During her time on the team, USC’s record was 89-31.

Lisa Leslie’s WNBA Career

Lisa Leslie was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 and helped lead the team to five consecutive playoff appearances and two WNBA championships. She became the WNBA’s first player to score over 3,000 career points in 2002 and surpassed 6,000 points in 2009 before retiring at the end of the season. Leslie held multiple records including points, points + rebounds + assists, and rebounds upon her retirement and was named one of the WNBA’s top 15 players in 2011 and one of the “Top 20 Players of All Time” in 2016.

Lisa Leslie’s Achievements

Leslie was chosen for the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team at 17 years old. During the 1989 Junior World Championship, she led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks. She also won a gold medal at the 1991 World University Games. Leslie won four gold medals at the Olympics and two at the FIBA World Championship for Women. At the 2004 Olympics, she became the nation’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition.

Lisa Leslie’s Personal Life and Faith

Lisa Leslie married UPS pilot and former Air Force Academy basketball player Michael Lockwood in November 2005. They have two children, daughter Lauren Jolie Lockwood, born in 2007, and son Michael Joseph Lockwood II, born in 2010.

Leslie is a devout Christian and has credited her faith as a guiding force in her life. In a 2014 interview with the “Biblical Recorder,” she stated that she has always put her goals and faith in the Lord’s name and wanted to fulfill His purpose. Leslie believes that her faith has been the saving grace for her.

Accolades

Lisa Leslie has won numerous awards throughout her basketball career. In 1994, she received the Honda Sports Award, USBWA Women’s National Player of the Year award, WBCA Player of the Year award, and Naismith College Player of the Year award. She was also named Best WNBA Player at the 2007 ESPY Awards. Furthermore, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

Lisa Leslie’s Real Estate Investment

In 2012, Leslie purchased a 4,600 square foot home in Calabasas, California for $1.7 million. The property featured five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Four years later, in 2016, she sold the property for $1.854 million.

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