Fellow Morningside alum, Byron Scott, 'proud' of Lisa Leslie for reaching HOF
Inglewood is commonly referred to as "The City of Champions." It also is the old stomping grounds of one of the newest members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Lisa Leslie.
While at Morningside High School, Leslie made a name for herself as one of the top players in the country. She once, infamously, scored 101 points in a half as a senior.
Leslie is one of 11 members named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015. The enshrinement will take place in September in Springfield, Mass.
- @LisaLeslie is an eight-time @WNBA All-Star and a three-time @WNBA Most Valuable Player #HOF2015
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) April 6, 2015
Before she graced the halls of Morningside, it was current Lakers head coach Byron Scott who did so.
Scott was already winning titles with the Lakers while Leslie was at Morningside but he tracked her career and the two remain close.
"It's great for Lisa Leslie," Scott said of the fellow Morningside alum being named to the hall of fame. "It's great for Morningside basketball. We've had some great athletes come out of that school, and for Lisa to get into the hall of fame it says a lot about the athleticism that we do have at that school and I'm very proud of Lisa. I know here extremely well and I'm very happy for her."
Congratulations to 4x Olympic gold medalist @LisaLeslie, @Hoophall Class of 2015 inductee! @TeamUSA @FIBA pic.twitter.com/PJf0ziZLUB
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) April 7, 2015
After her time at Morningside, Leslie went on to USC, where she was the consensus Player of the Year award winner in 1994 and holds the Pac-10 record for scoring and rebounding.
Leslie is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
During her 13-year WNBA career she won two championships with the Sparks. She is the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. She was named league MVP three times and an all-star eight times. The Morningside alum is the WNBA's all-time leader in rebounds.
