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] 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.
Fan voting through the Hall's website is also incorporated into the selection process.