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Women's Basketball Icon Lisa Leslie Set to Begin Final WNBA Season

June 4, 2009 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK, June 4, 2009 - Lisa Leslie, a pioneer and cornerstone of the WNBA, will embark upon the final season of her storied basketball career this Saturday, June 6, when the WNBA's 13th season tips off with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Detroit Shock on ABC at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Leslie, a three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player and one of the most recognized faces in the history of women's sports, announced in February that the 2009 season would be her last, and she plans to go out in style.

During her farewell season, Leslie will don a pair of specially designed sneakers created by Nike. The distinctive edition of the new Blue Chip II will feature the Sparks' familiar purple-and-gold colors and, at Leslie's request, a unique, pink highlight pattern. The shoes will be used to generate awareness about breast cancer and raise funds to help fight the disease, a cause that is very important to her. Prominent among the efforts will be online or in-arena auctions of the Leslie-Nike sneakers, conducted by many WNBA clubs following select Sparks road games. Proceeds will benefit the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation.

Leslie understands the severity of cancer and the importance of regular self screenings. Her mother and role model, Christine Leslie, detected a lump in her breast that fortunately ended up being cancer free. This scare, along with Kay Yow's admirable fight against breast cancer, inspired the Sparks star to invest in this important cause.

"I've always felt a commitment to my community and working with Nike to help shed some light on Breast Health Awareness is very important," said Leslie. "Coach Yow devoted so much energy to the fight against cancer and her journey has left a lasting impression on me."

"Lisa Leslie has been a true ambassador for the game and we're honored to have her in the Nike family," said Ilene Hauser, Manager of Nike's Women's Pro Basketball. "Lisa feels a strong duty to inspire her community and act as a positive role model for women worldwide -- best of all she walks the walk."

The Sparks will host a seasonlong tribute to Leslie's career that will include a $99 season-ticket package, a partnership with Right to Play, and a fan road trip to her final game at Phoenix on Sept. 13, among other soon-to-be announced events.

At each of Leslie's final visits to WNBA arenas across the country, rival teams will honor the living legend. In addition to airing a special video created by NBA Entertainment - featuring tributes from such basketball luminaries as the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the Phoenix

Suns' Steve Nash, and the Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi - teams are creating ticket incentives and hosting autograph sessions with Leslie to honor her career.

Leslie has enjoyed a career full of accomplishments. She's a seven-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA MVP, three-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, and two-time WNBA Finals MVP. Leslie enters her final season fewer than 100 points away from a career total of 6,000. The four-time Olympic gold medalist was the first player in WNBA history to reach the 5,000-point and 3,000-rebound plateaus.

One of four players remaining from the WNBA's inaugural season in 1997, Leslie won the WNBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Finals MVP in 2002, becoming the only WNBA player and just the fourth basketball player -- woman or man -- to win the trifecta of MVP Awards: MVP, All-Star MVP, and Finals MVP. That same year, she became the first women's professional basketball player to dunk in a game. She could make history again in 2009 if the results of the Seventh Annual WNBA.com GM Survey - in which the league's GMs predicted Leslie would become the first player in league history to earn MVP honors for a fourth time - are proven to be correct.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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