Lisa Leslie

The 26-year-old former USC All-American is the top basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. She was named MVP of last week's WNBA All-Star game. Burrito Smuggling: On Friday night, I go to Marina del Rey. I get a burrito at Baja Fresh and I sneak it into the movie theater. I could go to jail! [She laughs.] Watching the World Go By: After the movie, my boyfriend [Todd Bradley, a counselor at UCLA] and I go to a spot near the beach in Marina del Rey and listen to the car radio.

So there I am, watching "Think Like a Man"  with my wife and one of my daughters. (It's a decent movie, but you can wait for the DVD.) As I look around the theater to see if I am actually the only guy in the place, I catch sight of a familiar face on the screen: Metta World Peace. The artist formerly known as Ron Artest. One of the running gimmicks in the movie is that the guys get together once a week to play basketball. At the end of one of their games, World Peace walks up and asks if he can use the court.

Lisa Leslie's eyes remained focused on the scoreboard. A video featured testimonials from members of the Sparks, opponents and league officials about her storied 13-year WNBA career. Earlier, she watched another video highlighting her accomplishments with Morningside High, USC and the Sparks. When Leslie was asked to speak afterward, though, she appeared antsy. Said Leslie: "Did you guys get the memo? We have a game to play." The Sparks wanted to make sure the pregame festivities surrounding Leslie's last regular-season home game wouldn't disrupt their chances of cementing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

In front of 14,284 fans at the Great Western Forum on June 21, 1997, Sparks point guard Penny Toler swished a 12-footer, scoring the first basket in the WNBA's inaugural game. Although Toler and the Sparks lost that game to the New York Liberty, her shot became a bit of sports trivia and has been used as a question on "Jeopardy. " Toler, now the Sparks' general manager, said the significance of that first WNBA game was "not about scoring the first basket. " Rather, she said, it was playing a role in helping establish a pro league that could inspire female athletes.

It became the turning point of her final WNBA season. In a locker-room meeting, three-time MVP Lisa Leslie went from teammate to teammate and dissected how each could help turn things around for the struggling Sparks. That included herself. "I asked each person, 'Is it OK for me to be honest with you? You guys can be honest with me,' " Leslie said. " 'If I'm not working hard and I'm not bringing it, tell me.' " The Sparks (18-16) closed out the regular season winning 10 of their last 13 games and secured a No. 3 seeding in the Western Conference playoffs.

It had been raining all day and the gym floor was a bit moist, so Lisa Leslie mopped the hardwood while Imani Stafford, a high school junior, quickly laced up her basketball shoes. The scene surprised three men on the other side of the basketball court, who stopped watching a pickup game and stared as Leslie, 6-5, and Imani, 6-7, began doing drills at a Los Angeles health club. Shooting came first. Imani shuffled her feet as if she were running in place, caught the basketball and fired off a shot as quickly as she could.

Morningside High center Lisa Leslie, the State Division I girls basketball Player of the Year as a junior, has been named female winner of the Dial Award as the top scholar-athlete in the nation. Leslie and boys winner Robert Smith of Euclid, Ohio, were chosen by a panel of coaches, school administrators and sports journalists from across the U.S. who based their votes on athletic, academic and civic achievements.

Lisa Leslie is working on a new goal, one that has her trash-talking Charles Barkley. If she succeeds, "Charles won't be eating no more doughnuts," she says, smiling. As she watched the retirement of her No. 9 Sparks' jersey at Staples Center on Tuesday night, the women's basketball icon relished another moment in an award-filled career that spanned 13 seasons and ended in 2009. But her best moment, she hopes, will come as an NBA studio analyst for TNT, sitting alongside the inimitable Barkley.

The finish line, apparently, is in sight for a basketball icon. Lisa Leslie of the Sparks, WNBA pioneer and four-time Olympic gold medalist, is expected to announce that this will be her final season in the league, according to sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The Sparks are scheduled to hold a news conference this morning. They declined to comment on the development.

On the high school level, 6-foot-5 Lisa Leslie of Morningside and 6-4 twins Heidi and Heather Burge of Palos Verdes are dominant basketball players. Their size and athletic ability set them apart from most of their peers. But what would happen if Leslie and the Burges had to face college players who are older, more physically mature and, in some cases, equal in size? The three prep stars found out last weekend when they were among 70 college and 28 high school players who tried out for 10 spots on the 20-and-under U.S. Olympic Festival West team at Chapman College in Orange.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis of Santa Ana Mater Dei was the top-rated high school girls' basketball player on the nation's top-ranked team. And she has already signed on to play for college powerhouse Connecticut next season. So picking a favorite memory from her senior year is difficult. She recalls a time in Atlanta, when she was approached at the airport by a man who asked for her autograph. "It makes you feel special," said the 6-foot guard who was chosen by The Times as the girls' player of the year in Southern California.

It had been raining all day and the gym floor was a bit moist, so Lisa Leslie mopped the hardwood while Imani Stafford, a high school junior, quickly laced up her basketball shoes. The scene surprised three men on the other side of the basketball court, who stopped watching a pickup game and stared as Leslie, 6-5, and Imani, 6-7, began doing drills at a Los Angeles health club. Shooting came first. Imani shuffled her feet as if she were running in place, caught the basketball and fired off a shot as quickly as she could.

First off, a huge congratulations to the Huskies! Less than 24 hours removed, as somebody who's been at the top of the sport, I've heard what's being said to UConn women's team today: So . . . what's next?"

Lisa Leslie is working on a new goal, one that has her trash-talking Charles Barkley. If she succeeds, "Charles won't be eating no more doughnuts," she says, smiling. After she watched the retirement of her No. 9 Sparks' jersey at Staples Center on Tuesday night, the women's basketball icon relished another moment in an award-filled career that spanned 13 seasons and ended in 2009. But her best moment, she hopes, will come as an NBA studio analyst for TNT, sitting alongside the inimitable Barkley.

Unfortunately for the Sparks, Lisa Leslie was wearing high heels and skinny jeans when she took center court during their game against the Indiana Fever. The Sparks sure could have used the three-time league MVP in uniform. Instead Leslie, whose No. 9 jersey was retired at halftime, watched helplessly as the Sparks lost, 82-76, at Staples Center in front of an announced crowd of 10,586. After trailing, 40-38, at halftime, the Sparks (10-19) fell apart in the third and allowed the Fever (19-10)

Sparks tonight VS. INDIANA When: 7. Where: Staples Center. On the air: ESPN2. Records: Sparks 10-18, Fever 18-10. Record vs. Fever: 0-1. Update: The Sparks dropped out of playoff position in the Western Conference after losing, 92-83, to the San Antonio Silver Stars on Sunday. The Sparks are half a game behind fourth-place Minnesota and a game behind the third-place Silver Stars with six games remaining. Only the top four teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs.

For Lisa Leslie, the third try at the Scholastic Aptitude Test proved to be the charm. Morningside High's highly recruited center learned last week that after two failed attempts she scored over 700 on the SAT, making her eligible to play collegiate basketball as a freshman next fall. But the 6-foot-5 Leslie, an honor student who carries a 3.5 grade-point average, was still unsatisfied with her 750 score.

The crowd stood, clapping and cheering wildly for Tina Thompson. But she was unmoved. Her team was trailing. Becoming the WNBA's all-time leading scorer was little solace to Thompson as the Sparks lost, 92-83, to the San Antonio Silver Stars in front of an announced crowd of 9,793 on Sunday night at Staples Center. "It's only points," Thompson said. "That scoring record isn't going to give us wins. " Sparks Coach Jennifer Gillom agreed, calling the fuss over Thompson's point total a "distraction.