Written by Grace DeWitt, USC blog contributorÂ
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed another Trojan into its legendary halls as Lisa Leslie was enshrined in Springfield over the weekend. She joins Cheryl Miller (1995), current head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke (2010), Bill Sharman (1976 as a player, 2004 as a coach), and Alex Hannum (1998).
The Gardena native is an eight-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player. She was named the consensus National Player of the Year, a Kodak All-American and Naismith Trophy winner in her USC career. She averaged 20.1 points per game while playing for the Trojans, and holds the Pac-10 career records for scoring (2,414) and rebounding (1,214) The WNBA all-time leader in total rebounds, Leslie won two WNBA Championships with the Los Angeles Sparks and is a four-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She was also the first player to ever slam dunk in a WNBA game.
The basketball star also entered the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame this past June, and while dozens of people are members of both halls, Leslie is the first player to get inducted to each of them in the same calendar year.
(Photo credit: Jessica Hill)
