Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx are putting the spotlight on the diverse journeys of Black women across sports—from the veteran athletes, to up-and-coming stars, coaches, executives and more—in the series, Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports.
When Lisa Leslie was a 6-foot-tall sixth grader growing up in Compton, Calif., she had trouble understanding why everyone assumed she played basketball just because of her height. By the next year, Leslie decided she wanted to be more than just the tall girl in school—and she wanted to be more popular—so she followed in the footsteps of a well-known classmate who was on the team and decided to play for real.