Candace Parker was chosen to play the role of NBA2king NBA2K22. This is the first time a female basketball player has won this honor. Candace Parker's Los Angeles Sparks mentor Lisa Leslie was the person who opened the door to women playing basketball games. 

Prior to PlayStation 5, 4 and 3, around the time NBA2K2 was being released, Leslie appeared in Humungous Entertainment's Backyard Basketball (2001).While it was the Minnesota Timberwolves' Kevin Garnett who was the cover model of the original Backyard Basketball, Leslie was prominent in the game, and players could play as her or Garnett.

Houston Comets stars Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes both missed the 2001 WNBA season. Cooper has been a two-time winner of the MVP, and four-time champion was forced to quit after the season of 2000. Cooper returned in 2003. Swoopes also involved in those four championships and was also the league's MVP in the past, was unable to compete in 2001 due to a tear in her ACL.

Leslie was not the only one to win the MVP award for 2001, she was also named Finals MVP after helping the Sparks win their first title on Sept. 1. One month later, Backyard Basketball was released with her named as the only real-life woman's basketball player (Garnett was the sole male player) instead of Cooper and Swoopes.

Cooper and Swoopes are considered the first true faces of the WNBA however, it was Leslie who became the first face of Cheap NBA 2K22 MT PS4 the league for those who Backyard Basketball was geared towards, including me. Leslie was the first WNBA player I encountered and helped me enter women's basketball.