After graduating high school, Leslie enrolled in the University of Southern California and in the summer of 1996, she won a gold medal playing for the Women's Olympic team at the Summer Olympic Games. Leslie then became one of the Los Angeles Sparks’ original members, with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) debuting in 1997. The Sparks consistently made the playoffs during the late 90s, culminating with a gold medal win at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, and beating out the Charlotte Sting for their first WNBA title. By the following year, Leslie was named the MVP of the league, the all-star game, and the finals to boot.

In 2002, Leslie assisted with securing the win for the USA World Championships in women's basketball, and was recognized with both MVP and All-Tournament team honors. Also in 2002, Leslie became the first WNBA player to score over 3,000 career points; and the first woman to score with a dunk in a WNBA game, which so far remains the only one in the history of the WNBA. During the 2002 off-season, Leslie went to work on earning her master’s degree in Business Administration.

The year 2004 was another good one for Leslie; she garnered another gold medal with the United States women's national basketball team during the Summer Olympic Games. The following year, Leslie did commentary for the ESPN network during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. In preparation for her plans to get into broadcasting after her basketball career is over, Leslie has also done television correspondence for NBA Inside Stuff, and color commentary for USC basketball games.

In addition to basketball, Leslie has also added modeling and acting to her repertoire. In 1996, she was signed with the Wilhelmina modeling agency, and joined five other Olympic athletes in Vogue magazine photo shoot. She has also modeled for such labels as Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, and Anne Klein. On the small-screen, Leslie has appeared on such shows as The Jersey, Sister Sister, Hangtime, Moesha (starring singer Brandy Norwood), Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, The Weakest Link, and The Simpsons.

Both Leslie and her mother, Christine Leslie-Espinoza, are advocates for breast cancer research. Leslie has stated that her mother, who was once a cross-country truck driver, is the person whom she most admires.

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