The Lisa Leslie Award is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball center in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, an eight-time All Star and two-time champion of the WNBA in her 12 years career with the LA Sparks. In 2002, Leslie became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game, en route to a second championship for the Sparks. Leslie retired as the WNBA all-time leading scorer & rebounder and is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.[1]
| Lisa Leslie Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | The best women's college basketball center in the United States |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame & Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) |
| First awarded | 2018 |
| Currently held by | Cameron Brink, Stanford |
| Website | Lisa Leslie Award |
The Lisa Leslie Award was first presented in 2018, when WBCA and the Naismith Hall, in collaboration with ESPN, incorporated the previously existing Nancy Lieberman Award, presented to the top NCAA women's point guard, into a new set of awards known as the "Naismith Starting Five", that are presented at the WBCA convention (except in 2020, when the convention was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic) to players at each of the five traditional basketball positions. These awards parallel a previously existing set of men's basketball positional awards also presented by the Hall. In addition to the Lieberman Award, first presented in 2000, the other three new awards are:[2]
- Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award
- Katrina McClain Power Forward Award
- Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award
Winner for each of the Starting Five awards is determined by a selection committee consisting of Hall of Famers, WBCA coaching members, and media, and headed by the award's namesake. Fan voting through the Hall's website is also incorporated into the selection process.
Key
edit| * | Awarded, in addition, a national Player of the Year award: the Naismith College Player of the Year, Wade Trophy or the John R. Wooden Award |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has received the Lisa Leslie Award |
Winners
edit| Season | Player | School | Class | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | A'ja Wilson* | South Carolina | Senior | |
| 2018–19 | Megan Gustafson* | Iowa | Senior | [3] |
| 2019–20 | Aliyah Boston | South Carolina | Freshman | [4] |
| 2020–21 | Aliyah Boston (2) | South Carolina | Sophomore | [5] |
| 2021–22 | Aliyah Boston* (3) | South Carolina | Junior | |
| 2022–23 | Aliyah Boston (4) | South Carolina | Senior | |
| 2023–24 | Cameron Brink | Stanford | Senior | [6] |
Winners by school
edit| School | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 5 | 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Iowa | 1 | 2019 |
| Stanford | 1 | 2024 |
See also
edit- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award – the counterpart to the Leslie Award; given to the best men's NCAA center
References
edit- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, WBCA Announce Four New Women's College Basketball Awards". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Naismith Starting 5". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, WBCA Name Winners of Five Women's College Basketball Awards". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, WBCA Name Winners of Five Women's College Basketball Awards". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ^ "Basketball Hall of Fame Reveals Winners of Women's Naismith Starting Five Awards" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ "Iriafen, Brink Win Naismith Starting Five Awards". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-27.