Essay Sample about Lisa Leslie

Up until the 1990s playing basketball as a woman on home soil in the United States was only a dream. Unlike men, there was no professional league for women, not until April 4, 1996. Women playing basketball in the Women’s National Basketball Association was a great accomplishment and helped hundreds of women become successful. There have been many African American athletes in the world that have made a positive influence on society from Michael Jordan, to Tiger Woods, to Jackie Robinson. At the top of the list in women's sports is Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. Even though she was very successful, she still went through many challenges that only helped her grow. Lisa Leslie was born in Southern California, where she also later played in the WNBA, she is one of the most crucial African Americans in women's sports, having inspired young girls all over the world to follow their dreams, and she overcame being 6’1 at the age of twelve, which only strengthened her feelings for basketball. 

Lisa Leslie is from Compton, California where she lived up until she was nine years old. When she grew up, she played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, which is not far from her hometown. Lisa Leslie grew up with her mom and her two sisters Tiffany and Dionne. Even though she was born in Compton, she also lived in two other cities during her childhood, her first move was to Carson, California to live with her aunt and her cousins after losing their house. In her book Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You, she says, “When my cousin Craigie realized I played basketball, he started taking me to the gym at Victory Park in Carson almost every day” (Leslie 25). Lisa Leslie’s move from Compton to Carson was very important for her basketball career. Her cousin Cragie was also very important because he worked with her every day which helped tremendously with discipline and fundamentals. Once Lisa graduated from college at USC she was drafted into the WNBA by the Los Angeles Sparks. Also in her book, she states “I, of course, had been born in Southern California and had attended high school and college in the Los Angeles area. Playing for the Sparks seemed perfect for me. I could live at home in the summers and play in front of my family and friends” (Leslie 165). Lisa Leslie playing in LA was a great accomplishment for her. Since she grew up in Compton, which is really close to L.A, she thought that that was the perfect spot for her to be and wanted to stay there. Getting the opportunity to play professional basketball in California where she was born and raised was great for Lisa Leslie and was a big part of her success. 

Lisa Leslie is a crucial African American athlete in women’s sports. She inspires millions of young children all over the world to follow their dreams and stand up for what they believe in. Lisa Leslie has done many things during her career that make young athletes look up to her. Her work ethic, dedication to the game, and terrific 101 point performance are just a few. In the prologue of her book, Magic Johnson says “She was able to take the WNBA to a whole new level because once people saw what she could do they could not help but appreciate her talents, her work ethic, and her charisma. Little girls started wearing her #9 jersey and wanted to be like Lisa Leslie, and could not have picked a better role model on and off the court ” (Leslie 2). This is important because it shows that Lisa Leslie does not only influence young athletes, but also other famous athletes as well that have already had successful careers. Another example of Lisa Leslie having an impact in the world is when she scored 101 points vs South Torrance High School in 1990.  In the article by Anne Janatte Johnson, she says,  “In one 16-minutes flurry, Lisa scored 101 points- just 4 points of the national scoring record for an entire game. Her performance so badly humiliated the opposing team that their coach forfeited the game at halftime” (Johnson 5). Lisa setting the record for the most points in one half directly impacted the influence she had because it showed everyone in the arena and all over the world that anything is possible, but you have to work hard to accomplish your goals.  Lisa Leslie did not start playing basketball until late in her life, but that didn’t stop her from being the best that she could be and positively influencing everyone around her.

Lisa Leslie overcame being 6’1 at the age of twelve, which was a major challenge for her, being super tall made her stand out when she didn’t want to.  Lisa's mom was also very tall at 6’3 which made Lisa’s final height be 6’5. Being that tall at such a young age she often got teased and made fun of. In her autobiography, she states “When I was at school or walking home, kids would tease me about my size, they would say wow you are so tall! You look like Olive Oyl. They called me all kinds of names. Skinny Minnie. Bony. I would come home crushed ” (Leslie 22). Her whole childhood she was bullied because of her height. This is important because it helped her get stronger mentally. Another example of a challenge Lisa Leslie had to face with being tall was she could never fit into children’s clothes for a long period of time. Another thing from her book says “Besides fitting in at school, one of my main concerns was fitting into clothes. I did not understand that when I was growing so tall and so quickly, every pair of pants I wore would look as if they had shrunk ” (Leslie 22). Lisa Leslie not being able to fit into children’s clothes and having to wear men's clothing greatly affected her childhood because she never was able to wear stylish, colorful clothes like her peers and classmates. As a child, being 6’ 1 is very uncommon, as for Lisa being 6' 1 at only 12 years old caused many challenges during childhood that were difficult for her to overcome. 

At the time when the WNBA was just starting in 1996, one player stood out the most because of her background, influence on the world, and the very difficult challenges she faced and overcame.  Lisa Leslie was dedicated to the game of basketball and worked every day to fulfill her goals. She will be remembered as one of the most important and influential basketball players of all time, and though she was very successful, she had to overcome great obstacles and made huge amounts of sacrifice to become the player that she is today.  In Lisa Leslie having the dream of playing basketball, she worked extremely hard and changed the way of the WNBA. She paved the way for hundreds of thousands of women basketball players and will be remembered for years and years to come. 

Works Cited

Heyman, Brian. “Lisa Leslie, the Face of the W.N.B.A., Prepares for Life after Basketball.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Aug. 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/sports/basketball/23leslie.html. 

Johnson, Anne Janatte. “." Contemporary Black Biography. . Encyclopedia.com. 24 Jan. 2022 .” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 28 Feb. 2022, www.encyclopedia.com/people/sports-and-games/sports-biographies/lisa-leslie#:~:text=Lisa%20Leslie%20was%20born%20in,bring%20in%20a%20dependable%20income. 

Leslie, Lisa D, and Larry Burnett. Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You. Dafina Books, 2009.