Sparks’ Lisa Leslie is out of the All-Star game
Sparks center Lisa Leslie will miss the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday because of a sprained right knee that has kept her sidelined for the last seven games, the league announced Wednesday.
Sacramento Monarchs forward Nicole Powell was selected by WNBA President Donna Orender as Leslie’s replacement. Western Conference Coach Dan Hughes of the San Antonio Silver Stars will decide who will fill Leslie’s vacated starting position spot.
Leslie didn’t travel with the team for Wednesday’s 98-87 triple-overtime loss to the Seattle Storm and is still listed as day-to-day.
The lone Sparks representative in this year’s All-Star game is forward Tina Thompson, who was voted to the reserve list by WNBA coaches. Thompson led all Sparks’ scorers in Wednesday’s loss with 22 points.
Sue Bird led a 13-0 run by Seattle in the third overtime and helped the Storm (11-6) win its third straight game.
Betty Lennox notched her second consecutive double-double for the Sparks (4-9), scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Candace Parker also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
This would’ve been the eighth All-Star appearance for Leslie, the league’s all-time leading scorer and three-time MVP who is retiring after the season.
Before spraining her knee, Leslie was averaging 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds through five games while battling a swollen thumb that she jammed during training camp.
Associated press contributed to this report.
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