Lisa Leslie with husband, Michael Lockwood and daughter, Lauren Jolie Lockwood.

Lisa Leslie                                      

Three-Time Gold Medalist, MVP of the WNBA Sparks Team, Philanthropist, Model and Broadcaster Shares Her Formula For Rising to Superstar Status With Her New Book,
Don’t Let The Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion.

Known for her poise, beauty, talent and athleticism, WNBA Spark’s franchise player invites readers to travel with her as she describes her rise to excellence in the recently released thought-provoking book, Don’t Let The Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion.

Considered one of the most dynamic, popular female basketball players in the world, she is a pioneer of the sport, having been a three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time MVP of the WNBA. Fans voted her slam-dunk, the first in WNBA history, as the “Greatest Moment” in the WNBA's first decade. This memoir, however, turns the spotlight onto her life off the court, where she has overcome adversity, despite tremendous odds that would be detrimental to most who endeavor to reach the height of a true champion.

Once seen as a gangly youngster who looked overgrown, and wore men’s pants because nothing in the girls’ department fit, Lisa is now viewed as a role model for young girls, who have purchased her L.A. Sparks Jersey (#9), propelling it to become the league’s top seller. The book is designed to speak to this audience; girls who need a strong, graceful role model, but also to women and athletes overcoming adversity, and to all the insecure ducklings who wonder if they can ever become a swan.

Magic Johnson, writes in the foreword that, “Lisa took a lot of pride in making herself into a great basketball player, but she was always able to maintain her femininity at the same time. That came across in the way that she spoke, the way she played on the court, and the way she dressed off the court.” 
                                                           
Lisa brings a feminine touch to a sport that values toughness and aggression. Her femininity and grace has been captured through her success as a fashion model, having
signed with the Wilhelmina Model Agency in 1996 and appearing in fashion shows for
the Magic Johnson Foundation. Johnson adds that, “She shows women, both in sports and out of sports, that you can be a tremendous athlete and still remain a feminine woman.” Part basketball superstar, part fashion model, part girl-next-door, she wears lip-gloss and mascara when she plays and likes to wear high heels, even though she is 6’5” barefoot. Her off-the-court persona does not compromise her prowess on the courts, and advises her reader and fans to not “Let the Lipstick Fool You.”

In addition to her national exposure as a WNBA superstar and author, Lisa is also an ESPN broadcaster of women’s college basketball, a wife and new mother, as well as philanthropist and community activist. Moreover, she is setting her sights on winning one more Olympic gold medal for the country in the 2008 games.

Magic reminds us that “Lisa has reached a rare level of excellence, yet she remains a humble lady who, through all of her achievements, honors and accolades, has been able to live in the glare of the spotlight without ever once forgetting where she came from. She is the best player in the game today, but she is also the best person, woman, daughter, model and teammate”. Lisa is clearly a woman who has a rich story to share and hopes that her readers will enjoy the journey as they embrace, Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion.

Lisa Leslie

Standing six feet tall when she was in the sixth grade, Leslie used to hate it when people would ask her if she played basketball. But after picking up the sport in middle school, she was hooked. While at Morningside High School in Inglewood, CA, she led the team to two state championships. In college at the University of Southern California, she was the all time Pac-10 leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots. After college, Leslie launched her modeling career, signing with the prestigious Wilhemina Agency in 1996.

She was a member of the gold-winning U.S. Olympic teams in 1996, 2000, and 2004.  In 2001, Leslie was the first WNBA player to win the regular season MVP, the All-Star Game MVP and the playoff MVP in the same season. That year, she also led the Los Angeles Sparks to their first WNBA victory. In 2002, she was the WNBA all-time leading scorer and was named MVP of the WNBA Championship and All-Star Game. Leslie is the first woman to slam-dunk in a professional game.

In 2002, Lisa Leslie helped the Sparks win their second straight world championship, winning the WNBA MVP Award that year and again in 2006. She became a commentator for ESPN in 2004, covering the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Recently, Lisa Leslie sat out the 2007 WNBA season as she and her husband welcomed their first child in June. She will re-join the U.S. team this summer to go for her fourth Olympic gold medal.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
“She has it all: beauty, brains, and athleticism. She brings class, fashion, and
she’s sassy in her own way. She has all that and the championship rings to back it up.”
– Nancy Lieberman, ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer

Lisa first learned to play basketball as a young teenager in South Central Los Angeles. She got good. And quickly. She was taller than just about everyone else, but she was also skilled and usually played with guys. By the time she hit high school, she was consistently breaking school records, regional records, and eventually, state records. (In one game alone, in fact, she scored 101 points in the first half by herself. The opposing team refused to leave the locker room to play the second half.)
 
But life away from the basketball court was less than desirable. Lisa never knew her father. Her mother drove an 18-wheeler full-time and was on the road a lot, so Lisa spent a lot of time shuffling between abusive relatives. The older sister Lisa adored seemed to live only to torment her. (This is the same sister who would, in later years, steal Lisa’s identity and go on a shopping spree.)
 
Despite Lisa’s athletic ability, she just didn’t fit in. She was gangly and looked overgrown. She wore men’s pants because nothing in the girls’ department fit anymore…and even the men’s pants were high-waters. She wore a size 12 shoe in the sixth grade. Needless to say, she was relentlessly teased. But she had basketball. And she had her loving mother. And playing basketball with her mother’s support is what finally gave Lisa the confidence to come into her own.
 
Since then, Lisa has become known for her poise, her beauty, and her tough play. No one was all that surprised when she signed a modeling contract with Wilhemina in 1996 and posed for Herb Ritts later that year in Vogue magazine. This contradiction – part basketball superstar, part fashion model, part girl-next-door – is what Lisa loves to embody most. She likes to wear high heels, even though she is 6’5” barefoot. She wears lip gloss and mascara when she plays. And even when she sets a pick-and-roll or reaches to block an opponent’s shot, she is somehow elegant. Her off-the-court persona does not compromise her prowess on the court.
 
Today, Lisa has a budding career in broadcasting. She will return from maternity leave to play in the 2008 WNBA season, and she is likely to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, which would be her fourth appearance.