Sparks’ Lisa Leslie is expected to announce retirement

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Basketball icon Lisa Leslie of the Sparks, the cornerstone of the WNBA and a four-time Olympic gold medalist, is expected to announce that this will be her final season, according to sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The Sparks are scheduled to hold a news conference on Wednesday morning.

Leslie, 36, finished her Olympic career with another gold in Beijing, scoring 14 points in the gold-medal game against Australia. The Southern California native has helped guide the Sparks to two WNBA titles and has been named the league’s MVP three times. In 2002, Leslie became the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game.

Look for a full report soon on latimes.com/sports

-- Lisa Dillman