By Kathleen Radebaugh
PHILADELPHIA - Lisa Leslie may need to buy a new pair of gold earrings to match her newest accessory, an unprecedented fourth straight Olympic gold medal for USA women’s basketball.
Leslie, starting center for the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks as well as a longtime starter with USA Basketball, added to her collection Saturday night after the 92-65 victory over Australia at Wukesong Culture and Sports Center, Beijing, China.
For Leslie, this would be her last Olympic appearance.
The former Southern Cal All-American joined former USA teammate Teresa Edwards, as the only basketball players ever to win four gold medals. Edwards, however, had her streak interrupted by USA's silver medal acquisition at the Barcelona Games in 1992..
In her final international performance4, Leslie totaled 14 points with 7-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, and two blocks. She fouled out with over six minutes left, but as Leslie walked to the sidelines, the roar of ovation caused the court to tremble.
In a press conference after the game, U.S. Coach Anne Donovan shared her excitement for the team and for the program, but mostly for Leslie because from the beginning it was Leslie who saw the team leaving Beijing with nothing but a gold medal.
What is most impressive, Leslie is 32-0 in her Olympic career. She never lost a game representing the United States in any Olympic game. There is no other athlete with the same record.
Beginning her commitment to USA basketball at the age of 24, Leslie always vocalized her dedication to excelling, especially while playing for the Sparks and for the United States.
In her first Olympics in July 1996 in Atlanta, Leslie scored 35 points in a single game against Japan and has four of the USA’s top 10 single-game scoring totals.
With time, Leslie became a stronger basketball player and started receiving national acclaim.
In 2001, she was named MVP of the WNBA, the WNBA Playoffs and the WNBA All-Star game when she also finally achieved a long-sought championship with the Sparks after being one of the pro league's three orginal signees in 1996.
The other two were Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo.
Leslie is the first player ever to win all three awards in the same season, followed by the first player to tally 5,000 points in the WNBA. She also became the first player to throw down a dunk in the pro league.
In 2004, she led the U.S. team in scoring, for both exhibition and Athens’ games. Leslie averaged 15.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds and was the highest scorer in three of eight contests
Leslie’s last Olympics was significant, because she left the court with some of her closest friends and teammates. She concluded her international career with such grace and skill that hopefully her younger teammates will reflect wearing both an Olympic and WNBA jersey.
Most importantly, Leslie was able to celebrate her fourth gold with her one-year-old daughter, Lauren.
The toughest part about playing in the WNBA and overseas is not the floor sprints, but the traveling schedule. One of 20 moms representing the United States in a variety of sports, Leslie faced tough decisions with having a family and being a professional athlete.
Lauren traveled with her mom to Beijing and in between practices, games, and press conferences, they would head straight to the parks.
In an interview with Good Morning America about balancing motherhood and athletics, Leslie mentioned her time spent with her daughter is one hundred percent about Lauren and her time spent on the court is one hundred percent basketball.
Leslie will return to L.A. to finish this season’s WNBA schedule, all teams taking a hiatus for this year’s Olympics.
The Sparks first game back is against Sacramento Monarchs on Aug. 28 as they pursue this year's title for which they were preseason favorites.
Leslie's expansive profiles and stats are more prolificthan any one else in the league. She was able to accomplish all of this because she has exceptional basketball talent and stamina, but she also concentrated on what was important for her and her teammates.
So maybe she deserves a new pair of gold earrings. Maybe Lauren can help her pick them out.
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