Magic Johnson’s wish for Lisa Leslie has come true after two years. The WNBA legend was honored with an 11-foot bronze statue named “The First Lady,” unveiled on Sunday afternoon. But she has already set her sights on a potential next chapter in her journey that could use Johnson’s help in the WNBA.
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The NBA legend’s $1.2 billion net worth comes from a diverse business portfolio, which also includes owning sports franchises. The WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks are part of that, and Lisa Leslie also wants to restart her ownership era.
“That’s a great question,” she told reporters (via @LoJoMedia on X). “I literally just had that conversation with my agent. 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 named Magic Johnson, who is a co-owner of the Sparks, the team she once co-owned, and said, “Magic, call me.”
Magic is part of the ownership group (led by Mark Walter) that acquired the Sparks in 2014. Lisa Leslie was the first former WNBA player to hold a minority ownership stake in the team (2011–2014) before that sale.
On the hardwood, Leslie earned multiple accolades, including two WNBA championships, two Finals MVPs, three WNBA MVP titles, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2015, and also holds the bragging rights of being the first player in WNBA history to dunk in a game.
So, the statue was a deserving honor for the four-time World Cup gold medalist.
When Leslie was honored at halftime of the Portland Fire vs. Los Angeles Sparks game, Johnson also voiced over a segment of the video tribute.
“Los Angeles didn’t just watch Lisa Lesley grow up,” Johnson narrated. “We watched her grow the game up. Lisa wasn’t [music] just becoming a great woman’s basketball; she was becoming a great basketball player. Period. 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 made his stance on Leslie’s greatness known 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 then. “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 Johnson also played a crucial role in her development. During a recent interview with ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike, Lisa Leslie highlighted sharing the court with the NBA icon. Not everyone gets an opportunity to play pickup with Magic; 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. I mean, Magic would run me off screens and hit me,” recalled Leslie. “I knocked out jumpers. I was out there with Chris Mullin, Baron Davis. Like, I played hoops really with NBA men all the time, and I loved every minute of it. It’s because it made me better.
“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. Being able to play hoops with him and NBA players time and time, I mean, it is outstanding.”
Playing pickup with Magic Johnson already had a large imprint on her life, and now she wants to join him on the business side as a potential co-owner of the Sparks. As their relationship is well beyond the hardwood, it won’t be surprising if Magic Johnson actually makes some calls.