Sheryl Swoopes as well as Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets famous players, were absent from the 2001 WNBA season. Cooper quit after the 2000 season as a two-time MVP and four-time champion. She then returned in 2003. Swoopes was one of NBA2king the four championships and was also the league’s reigning MVP, missed 2001 due to a torn ACL.
Leslie not only took home the MVP award in 2001, she won Finals MVP after helping the Sparks win their first title on September. 1. A month later, Backyard Basketball was released with her as the only woman in the real world (Garnett was the only male player) instead of Cooper and Swoopes.
Cooper and Swoopes are regarded as the first authentic faces of the WNBA, but it was Leslie who was the first to be the face of the league the the kids Backyard Basketball was geared towards and included me. Leslie was the first WNBA athlete I had come across and she helped me to get into women’s basketball.
My enthusiasm for the sport grew gradually from there. After the 2004 national championships in basketball for ladies and men, UConn Huskies were featured on Sports Illustrated’s cover with Emeka Okafor.
I later became an Sacramento Monarchs fan and watched them in the 2006 WNBA Finals against the Detroit Shock. Ever since watching Parker in Buy 2K MT PS4 the 2007 national championship game , which was won by the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, I have been pretty in tune with basketball women’s and began watching the WNBA in 2012.
