While it was Kevin Garnett, the Minnesota Timberwolves' basketball player, who was featured on the cover of Backyard Basketball's initial edition, Leslie was also featured and you could also play the role of 2K22 MT Garnett and her.

Sheryl Swoopes as well as Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets star players, were absent from the 2001 WNBA season. Cooper went on to retire in the 2000 season as a two-time MVP and four-time champion. She returned in 2003. Swoopes was an integral part of those four championships and was also the league's MVP of the year, did not play in 2001 due to a ruptured ACL. Leslie was not the only one to win the MVP award for 2001, she also took home the Finals MVP after helping the Sparks win their first title in September. 1. Within a month, Backyard Basketball was released with her as the only woman in the real world (Garnett was the only male player) instead of Cooper and Swoopes.

Cooper and Swoopes were the first to be identified as the WNBA's real faces, but it was Leslie who was the first player to be identified as the WNBA's official face to Backyard Basketball's fan base that included me. Leslie was the very first WNBA player I was aware of and got me into basketball for women.

My interest in the sport increased gradually from there. After their 2004 national championships in women's and men's basketball, UConn Huskies were featured on Buy NBA 2K22 MT Sports Illustrated's cover alongside Emeka Okafor. Then I became an avid Sacramento Monarchs fan. I was able to watch them play in the 2006 WNBA Finals against Detroit Shock. Since watching Parker take part in the 2007 national championship , which was won by the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, I've been a huge fan of basketball for women. I started writing about the WNBA in the year 2012.