WNBA Legend Now Coaching For Big3’s Triplets Team
She’s an Olympic champion, a three-time WNBA MVP and is considered one of the greatest ballers to ever hit the court.
And iconic athlete Lisa Leslie is back in the game, but this time she’s making moves from the sidelines. The six foot five Compton, CA native is now coaching the Big3 basketball league’s Triplets and will lead her team this weekend as they face off against the Tri-State.
“Being part of the Big3 has been more than I’ve ever dreamed of,” Leslie told us. “I saw it and I watched it as a fan, and to be part of the Big3 family – I kind of get choked up because I never thought that I would really coach.”
Leslie was honored Friday at Toyota’s Women of Big3 Power Luncheon at the MoCada Museum in Brooklyn, where she spoke about her new role and how basketball impacted her life. Also honored was Big3 chairwoman Amy Trask and Big3 head coach Nancy Lieberman.
Leslie – who played 12 seasons with the WNBA and was the first female baller to dunk on live TV – said she’s relishing her new role as a coach, writing scouting reports, going over games to find weak spots and mentoring the players.
And when she was asked about what it was like to coach a team of male athletes, Leslie said that it’s not a big deal.
“It’s just been so much fun,” she said. “It’s been thrilling – I always say it’s like playing chess and playing dominoes and playing spades all at the same time. If you’ve ever played any of those, you kind of understand the strategy of it, the energy of it, the fight of it – the passion.”
Hit the flip for more pics from the luncheon: