Candice Wiggins: an appreciation of Lisa Leslie

When my dad died, there was no WNBA.

My mom though – somehow she knew it was coming. I remember her talking to me about my father’s spirit and the power of sport. She spoke to me about how he would live through me and that I would honor him by affecting change and raising awareness. She said it was my destiny to help teach the world about AIDS. As a child, I didn’t understand her anymore than I understood the disease that claimed my father – but she was my mother, she is wise and I trusted her.

Then came the summer of 1996. I was 9 years old and even today, I don't know if any event will ever compare to how fundamentally important and colossal the Olympics became to me. It was the summer of the Magnificent Seven, Kerri Strug’s heroic landing, and it was the first time that women's basketball had a national stage – and nobody took the stage quite like Lisa Leslie.

Lisa was impossible not to notice. She always handled herself with utmost grace and dignity. Watching her inspired me to compete, and when the WNBA started the next year, my mom and I were watching as Lisa led the charge of pioneers who, together, completely changed the game. These women defined how the world viewed women's basketball. So, now, as I prepare to play against Lisa in her last home game as a WNBA player, wearing red shoes to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS, I am paying homage to Lisa and her legacy.

Lisa Leslie  is iconic, in the sense that she not only gave women's basketball a face, but also a standard for commitment to excellence and a recognition of responsibility  we all can aspire to uphold. I am passionate in my role as an advocate, and my passion for work around HIV/AIDS awareness has provided me the chance to engage with a global community of advocates and change-makers.  Yet today, what moves me about being a part of Lisa’s farewell game is that without Lisa, I realize that my peers and I might not have the opportunity to share our voices; our passions, our stories and our love for the game with the world. Its truly such a privilege and I am thankful.

I don't think any aspiring female basketball player growing up today could imagine life without the WNBA, but I can. Its something we cannot take for granted, and as a generation punctuated by Lisa’s departure, we must continue to grow. It wasn't until 1997 that we had a stage that allowed us to play in our own country, in front of family and friends. Now today, young players who watch us can grow up with dreams of winning a WNBA championship. They can dream of being one of the best players in the world. They can dream of being recognized on the street and, hopefully, we can help inspire them to use their celebrity to help change the world.

Thank you Lisa Leslie for what you have done for women; for women’s sports, for what you have done for basketball and today, especially,  thank you for what you have done to prove my mom right and provide me a vehicle for advocacy to honor my father.

--Candice Wiggins, Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, www.candicewigginsonline.com

Photo: Lisa Leslie, left, Candace Wiggins. Photo credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press, Hannah Foslien / Associated Press. 
 

Comments

[Natalie]

Beautifully written, Candice. As a longtime WNBA fan, I still worry about the viability of league, and while I love that young women athletes soon will not remember a time before it existed, I fear that they will then begin to take it for granted while it is not yet securely established. Thankfully we have players like you, who are exceptionally talented but also extremely intelligent and wise, with the foresight to know what remains to be done as well as the discipline to have trained as a truly elite student-athlete, providing a strong foundation for the future of the league I love.

[Ron]

Candice

You did good.

You smiled and seemed to be happier as a college player. I think will will improve and approach and obtain greatness, if you regain the smiles I appreciated so much when you were at Stanford.

Thanks
Ron

Ron

[Mark]

Candice,

Your words move us to tears just as your play and your passion brought us tears of joy watching you at Stanford. You express yourself so well and so fully and because you feel and live with such passion - your words are so powerful.

Lisa is a towering figure for Women's Basketball and together with Women's Soccer the pioneers of those sports have transformed the paths and roles available for women in our country and to some extent the world.

Thank you for crystallizing the importance of the moment, the milestone, the memories. We're honored and proud to be your fans.

[afaceinthecrowd]

The last time I saw so much love directed a one player it was your last game at Maples, the big dance of 08, the warm up free throw drill alone had the building shaking,it could have easaly been mistaken for a tent revival. You definitly had to be there last night to begin to comprehend the amount of love flowing through the arena,if it were fog you wouldnt be able to see.In adition to being a venue for you to save lives via awareness,I see the league,as well as sports on every level as a lifeboat for civalization,in an largly upsidedown world that to often rewards failure and penalizes sucess. The world is in a leadership crises, you and players like you, will someday trade in you game day uniform for a coaches suite,and that is what gives me hope that in your hands the league and society will make out just fine....ps 50 year old men with long stringy hair need inspiration too,thanks for all youve given me.

[Daphne]

We never know how God's plan for our lives pans out. I've never met you personally, but I've watched you play since your days at Stanford. I was at the game on Friday and I wondered why you had on red tennis shoes, now I know. Amazing! Lisa has passed the ball to the next generation of women such as yourself to impact the world through your God given talent and I must say you are well on your way. BTW, our mother's are usually right and I know the Lynx are coming back next year with a VENGANCE! I'm excited about the WNBA's future!

[Beverly]

I am, sadly, a wannabe athlete. I use the term "wannabe" because I'm a baby boomer, old enough to have been one of those young girls desperately wanting and searching for an outlet for their atheltic dreams prior to Title IX and well before the 1996 Olympics. Provided I had had access to the types of organized leagues available today, I think I may have become one of those players competing so valiantly and beautifully alongside Lisa Leslie. Alas, it just was not my time to shine, but thank goodness for Title IX and the magnificent Lisa Leslie. When I saw our 1996 Olympic women's basketball team play on TV, I cheered like a maniac even though I knew they couldn't hear me, but mostly cried tears of unmitigated pride. This league must not be allowed to die simply from complacency. It is a shining testimony to the competitive spirit, emotional/physical resiliency, and unrelenting determination of women to be the best they can be no matter the odds, no matter the prejudice, no matter how often dream-breakers may voice their skepticism. These extraordinary athletes deserve our respect and support for they are the pioneers of a brighter future for female generations to come, regardless of whether the women yet to be born shall become athletes or academics, mothers or matrons. Because of the WNBA, young girls have the opportunity to observe women on an international stage demonstrating the qualities and necessities of success: dedication, passion, creativity, intelligence, team work, grace under pressure, self-confidence, strategy, goal setting, a never-say-die attitude, and yes even the sweat of hard work. Women like Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, Becky Hammon, Tamika Catchings, Candice Wiggins, and so many others have quite simply taken my breath away as I watch them not only perform on that hardwood stage but also in their communities as teachers, advocates, and activists. I salute them, admire them, and cherish my memories of them.