So many sports superstars have come and gone through Staples Center in Los Angeles, and they aren’t shy about that.
Currently, ten statues stand outside the arena: Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson, Oscar De La Hoya, Chuck Hearn, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Luc Robitaille, Shaquille O'Neal, Bob Miller and Elgin Baylor. That’s five Lakers, two Kings, an announcer for each team as well as one of boxing’s finest.
Now, the first statue dedicated for a female athlete is on its way. WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who played for the Sparks from 1997 to 2009 and brought two championships to Los Angeles, is joining the pantheon, following an LA Times column by Arash Markazi.
Leslie and the Sparks beat out one of Staples Center’s other prominent tenants, the Clippers, to getting their first statue outside of the arena, but we’re talking about the Clippers, so, yeah.
With women’s basketball going through a bit of a surge in popularity right now — including in Canada, thanks to talented young players such as Kia Nurse — it’s definitely cool to see Staples Center ownership nod towards Sparks history and acknowledge one of the greats. You know they’ve got a statue with Kobe Bryant’s name on it already, but could Candace Parker be in the mix down the line?