The WNBA celebrated its 30th anniversary on June 21, 2026. WNBA legend Lisa Leslie took the center stage at halftime during the Los Angeles Sparks versus the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena in LA.

The two teams played the WNBA's first game on June 21, 1997, with the Liberty grabbing a 67-57 win. Leslie was also part of the first historic game, playing for the Sparks.

30 years later, Leslie returned to the center of the court, but this time to honor the old-school icons that established the league and the future generations who built on that foundation.

"I just want to say, for us women, for every single player, we understood the assignment," Leslie said during the halftime ceremony. "Because the assignment was not just to represent ourselves and our community, it was to represent every little girl who looked like us, who wanted to be us, for every woman who was fighting to have equal opportunities in this country."

The 30th anniversary of the WNBA's first game coincided with 2026 Father's Day, and Leslie made it a point to thank the men who were involved in the journey as well.

"And I also wanna say thank you to the men, the dads who support us, and put us first. We appreciate you," the two-time WNBA champion added.

She also thanked late Hall of Famer David Stern, who was the NBA commissioner from 1984 to 2014, for being the driving force behind the WNBA's 1997 launch.

The two-time WNBA champion gave a heartfelt speech in front of the LA Sparks crowd. But how influential and impactful was Leslie for the WNBA? Let's take a look.

What made Lisa Leslie a celebrated WNBA legend

Not only did Lisa Leslie feature in the very first WNBA game, but she also achieved immense greatness, including achievements like becoming an eight-time All-Star, three-time WNBA MVP, two-time WNBA DPOY, and more.

But right from the beginning, there was a larger picture on her mind than just personal achievements. After the first game in 1997, the then-24-year-old Leslie said:

"I thought it would be big for women's basketball. I thought if I could get up and do it (a dunk), it would be a good opportunity."

Besides the missed dunk attempt, Leslie also admitted that she felt "the burden of carrying the league."

After this game, though, in her 13-year career with the LA Sparks, she won two back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

Lisa Leslie became a beacon of light for every little girl wanting to become a WNBA star one day, with players like Chiney Ogwumike also calling her an idol and citing her as the reason they play in the league.

The Sparks also retired her No. 9 jersey in 2010 as a tribute to her excellent performance and loyalty to the franchise.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Yash Kotak