Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie leads the way
The 4-time Olympian cycled in support of Hub charity
Without the support from her community, Lisa Leslie says she wouldn’t have been able to transform the love she had for basketball as a child into a playing career that ranks amongst the best of all time.
Now, Leslie is focused on making sure all girls and young women receive the same support so they can make their own dreams come true.
On a rainy Saturday afternoon in Boston, Leslie hopped on an indoor bike and led a group of dozens of women that gathered for a class at Rev’d Indoor Cycling in Copley Place. The 45-minute session raised funds for Dream Big!, a city-based nonprofit that provides funds and items to help girls from low-income backgrounds participate in sports.
“I have been empowered by women all my life, especially my mom who was a single parent,” Leslie told the Herald. “No matter what I do, I’m always going to use my voice, my platform to be able to give back and be a role model.”
A member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and a four-time Olympian, Leslie serves as chief strategy officer for Jelenew, a cycling and fitness apparel line for women. Jelenew has partnered with cycling companies to donate funds to organizations that are “near and dear to their hearts,” she said.
Leslie, a native of Compton, Calif., and her company learned about Dream Big! and how it’s supporting girls and young women which she said is “the beauty of it.”
“The mentor she is for so many young girls and women that play basketball, it’s really exciting. It’s fabulous to have her here,” Dream Big! Founder and CEO Linda Driscoll said of Leslie.
Dream Big! Works with more than 100 sports organizations, public schools and other partners, and the demand in supporting girls and young women has grown due to the pandemic, Driscoll said, with more families struggling financially and an increased desire to be active.
Pre-pandemic, Dream Big! reached 8,000 girls and young women, Driscoll said. With another month left in the fiscal year, the nonprofit has impacted 13,000 individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, she said.
Dream Big! distributed $800,000 to sports attire and footwear to girls in need during the pandemic, Driscoll said.
“We rely on the public support, the corporate support, special events such as this, all of that adds up to helping us meet the increasing demand on our services and to getting girls on the playing field,” she said, “not sitting on the sidelines because their family can’t afford the $100 pair of sneakers and the $50 basketball.”
Leslie and Jelenew are teaming up with former NBA player Joe Johnson and his ISO Yoga company to hold cycling and yoga classes in various cities the Big3 makes stops in in the upcoming months.
Leslie is Johnson’s coach on the Triplets in the Big3, a professional basketball league featuring 3-on-3 games played by former NBA and international players.
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