Salute to Lisa Leslie.

The past 2 days have been a whirlwind when it comes to the living. The fact is Kobe, Gianna and seven other individuals are no longer with us. Their families are left to morn their loss alone once the cameras go off. Can any of you even imagine what these families are going through? What could it possibly be like to be Vanessa Bryant who lost her husband and her daughter? How do the families of John Altobelli, Kerri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Ara Zobyan and Christina Mauser feel about their family members being lumped in as the “seven other victims”?

Those questions are why what Gayle King did was so unsettling and irresponsible. She tried to pass the buck off to “someone” at CBS uploading that snippet after the interview already aired. She mentioned the video was out of context. King provided a number of reasons. She even mentioned how she would feel if she saw the video the way the public did. “I know that if I had seen the video that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me too” said King. That is the most telling part of this. If that line of questioning is moved to any other part of that interview it’s going to come off the same way. It’s going to feel abrupt, accusatory and like gotcha journalism.

Lisa Leslie handled her questions masterfully. She kept her composure even after she was blindsided. Leslie spoke facts, protected her friend and delivered a clear message. This three time WNBA MVP rose to the occasion with class and grace.

Here are five reasons why she remains the MVP.

1. She never once shied away from the question.
2. She kept her poise.
3. She spoke her truth and shared the impression of the man she knew Kobe to be.
4. She looked Gayle directly in her eyes and told her that the “media” (another word for Gayle) should be more respectful at this time.
5. She shut it all down when she reminded Gayle that the case was dismissed and it should stay there.

It takes a real friend to fend off an attack against you and your family in that manner. We should all be so lucky to have one friend like that.

Who is your MVP? How did Lisa do? Share in the comments.

Stream “Speak Life” by Precise