Magic Johnson’s wish for Lisa Leslie comes true after two years. The WNBA legend, who has been ‘the first’ to achieve many things in life, is honored with an 11-foot bronze statue titled “The First Lady,” unveiled Sunday. She becomes the first Los Angeles Sparks player to be immortalized at Star Plaza. Leslie, though, revealed that she has already set her sights on the next chapter of her life journey.
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And that could use a bit of Magic Johnson’s help in the WNBA. After all, the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s $1.2 billion net worth comes from a diverse business portfolio that includes major sports franchises. The W’s Sparks are part of that portfolio, and Leslie wants in. Again.
“I literally just had that conversation with my agent,” she told reporters (via @LoJoMedia on X). “I want to move back into ownership positions. I want to move back into an investment position. It would be great. We never really talked about it, but I was the first player to have ownership in the team, and I would love to get that back. That would be like a truly amazing gift.”
That’s when she leaned into the mic and said, “Magic, call me,” prompting a light chuckle across the room. Johnson is part of the ownership group (led by Mark Walter) that acquired the Sparks in 2014. Before that, Leslie was the first former WNBA player to hold a minority ownership stake in the team (2011–2014).
Living up to her reputation as the first player to ever dunk in a WNBA game (her bronze statue is in the same pose) and as part of the first group of players (alongside Rebecca Lobo and Sheryl Swoopes) to sign with the league, Leslie assured fans in 2011 that she would “continue to grow the sport of basketball.”
On the hardwood, Leslie earned multiple accolades, including two WNBA championships, two Finals MVPs, three WNBA MVP titles and a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2015 after becoming a four-time Olympic gold medalist. Leslie was even an early inspiration to mothers because she returned after her maternity break for her final two career seasons.
Leslie is only the second WNBA player to be immortalized with a statue outside a pro franchise’s arena, following the Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird. When Leslie was honored at halftime of the Portland Fire vs. Los Angeles Sparks game, Magic Johnson also voiced over a segment of that video tribute.
“Los Angeles didn’t just watch Lisa Leslie grow up,” Johnson narrated. “We watched her grow the game up. Rebound by rebound. Bucket by bucket. Block by block. The footwork, the intelligence, the power… Lisa wasn’t just becoming a great women’s basketball player. She was becoming a great basketball player. Period.
“Now, Los Angeles gives Lisa something she spent her whole career giving us, something to look up to. So before you enter the arena, look up. There she is. The champion, the pioneer still rising.”
This marks a full-circle moment, since Magic Johnson publicly stated his stance on Leslie’s greatness in March 2024.
“You took the WNBA, women’s basketball, and the city of Los Angeles to new heights. My friend, your legacy is already women’s history,” Johnson wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “And now, your impact is continuing through your entrepreneurship! I am so proud of you. One day, I hope you get a well-deserved and earned statue outside Crypto!”
Magic also played a crucial role in her development. During a recent interview with ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike, Leslie highlighted sharing the court with the NBA icon. Not everyone gets an opportunity to play pickup with Magic, but Lisa was one of them!
“I mean, Magic would put me on the team and then remember playing with men; I’m only a two guard. I’m 6’5″. I didn’t play in the post. So, I was on the two guard. Magic would run me off screens and hit me,” recalled Leslie. “I knocked out jumpers. I was out there with Chris Mullin, Baron Davis. I played hoops really with NBA men all the time, and I loved every minute of it.
“And it’s just amazing that I really can say that I was on the court with Magic Johnson consistently throughout my whole WNBA career.”
Former Sparks coach Michael Cooper revealed that Leslie preferred facing Lakers players in practice because she was determined to become the best in the league. Magic Johnson has also admitted she “dominated” a couple of players from LA’s Showtime era. Leslie would practice her spin move (James Worthy), baby hook (Johnson) and baseline fake and turnaround jumper (Hakeem Olajuwon) daily before actual practice.
Leslie, one of Kobe Bryant’s longtime friends from their playing days to now having a bronze statue alongside him and his daughter Gigi, called the legendary Laker her “little baby brother” during the ceremony.
“I’m right across from Kobe, I’m right by Magic, the people who have just poured into my life,” Leslie said. “I can’t say it enough. To be cemented here in Hollywood, but it’s also a lasting legacy that my ancestors would be proud of.”
Playing pickup with Magic Johnson had a large impact on her life, and now she wants to join him on the business side as a potential co-owner of the Sparks. Since their relationship goes well beyond the hardwood, it won’t be surprising if Johnson actually makes some calls.