{"id":24355,"date":"2025-06-29T11:21:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/24355\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T11:21:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T11:21:12","slug":"candace-parker-from-top-prospect-to-wnba-champion-with-three-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/24355\/","title":{"rendered":"Candace Parker: From top prospect to WNBA champion with three teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2000, whispers of a 13-year-old phenom from Naperville, Ill. \u2014 a Chicago suburb \u2014 began reverberating through the AAU circuit. Generational. Dominant. Striking. Perhaps the greatest women\u2019s basketball prospect ever. Candace Parker\u2019s<\/a> name rang out far beyond her hometown.<\/p>\n

Word soon reached every elite college basketball program in the country \u2014 from Durham, N.C., to College Park, Md., to Knoxville, Tenn. \u2014 each clamoring for her talents. Few truly stood a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer game at such an early age was something I had never seen in person,\u201d said Nikki Fargas<\/a>, then an assistant coach at Tennessee. \u201cTo see her do it so young tells you a lot. \u2026 She was undeniable, and her presence was felt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long before Parker\u2019s illustrious professional career and her Sparks jersey retirement ceremony Sunday \u2014 three championships, two MVPs, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, Finals MVP, two Olympic golds, seven All-Star nods and 10 All-WNBA selections \u2014 she was simply \u201cAce,\u201d a sweatband-wearing, bob-cut sporting teenager set to graduate.<\/p>\n

Fargas, who won a national title under legendary coach Pat Summitt<\/a>, was Tennessee\u2019s recruiting director in 2003 and was looking to make a splash with her first class. The moment she saw Parker in person, she was certain: Parker would be a Lady Vol.<\/p>\n

By her senior year in high school, Parker had grown into a 6-foot-4 national player of the year and state champion.<\/p>\n

\"Candace <\/p>\n

Candace Parker was considered one of the top college recruits while at Naperville Central High in a suburb outside of Chicago.<\/p>\n

(Anne Ryan \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Fargas attended all of Parker\u2019s games at Naperville Central High, a nearly 1,100-mile round trip. She sat in the Redhawks\u2019 gym bleachers, decked out in Tennessee orange while sending a not-so-subtle message, often with Summitt by her side.<\/p>\n

Fargas made her final pitch clear and direct: Parker could become the greatest under Summitt.<\/p>\n

Joining Rocky Top<\/p>\n

On Nov. 11, 2003, at the start of her senior year, Parker committed to Tennessee live on ESPNews \u2014 the first women\u2019s basketball player to commit on national TV. Parker later told ESPN<\/a>, \u201cI wanted to be a professional basketball player. I loved that Knoxville was centered around women\u2019s basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCandace is the most versatile 6-foot-3 player at this stage of her game that I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Summitt said<\/a> in a Tennessee news release announcing Parker\u2019s signing a letter of intent. \u201cShe can play every position on the floor, from point guard to post, \u2026 Truly a great inside-outside player. \u2026 The total package.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s arrival sent a jolt through Rocky Top. At just 18, she brought weighty expectations \u2014 it was championship or bust. For several years, it had been bust for Tennessee, which hadn\u2019t won a national title since the late \u201990s.<\/p>\n

After missing her freshman year because of a knee injury, Parker proved to be better than advertised, propelling the Lady Vols back onto the national stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven in college, not only did she dunk, but she was able to pass, able to shoot at her position, able to do things that bigs weren\u2019t doing,\u201d said Noelle Quinn, a former Southland prep star and head coach of the Seattle Storm. \u201cIt was easy for Candace. It was easy for that team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tennessee <\/p>\n

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt gives instructions to Candace Parker during the 2007 NCAA title game against Rutgers.<\/p>\n

(Tony Dejak \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Quinn experienced the Summitt-Parker era firsthand. In 2006, she led UCLA into an early-season clash on the road against No. 1 Tennessee \u2014 the start of Parker\u2019s first title run.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an amazing environment to play in \u2014 a game I\u2019ll never forget,\u201d Quinn recalled. Parker and Quinn led their teams in scoring \u2014 Parker with 22 points, Quinn with 20. Tennessee\u2019s dominance with Parker at the helm was clear, Quinn said.<\/p>\n

At the height of the team\u2019s back-to-back championship runs, Fargas said traveling with the Lady Vols \u201cwas like traveling with rock stars.\u201d Summitt\u2019s fearless approach \u2014 taking on anyone, anywhere \u2014 kept Tennessee in the spotlight, with Parker as the undisputed headliner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing right now with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark \u2014 bringing awareness, getting people to watch and increasing attendance \u2014 Parker was doing that already,\u201d Fargas said. \u201cFans would be lined up at our hotel. Our bus would pull up and there were the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the end of her college career, Parker had accomplished everything \u2014 two-time AP player of the year, 2008 Naismith college player of the year, and most outstanding player during both national title runs \u2014 the last of which was Summitt\u2019s final championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe fits in at the top,\u201d Fargas said of Parker\u2019s place in program history. \u201cWhen you talk about Lady Vols, Parker is maybe the first of the names people talk about. \u2026 She was different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Big L.A. dreams<\/p>\n

Parker was arguably the WNBA\u2019s most anticipated prospect \u2014 a franchise-altering talent. Yet one question loomed: Who would land her?<\/p>\n

In 2006, the Sparks were in championship contention, reaching the conference finals with MVP Lisa Leslie. But when Leslie missed the following season on maternity leave, the team plummeted to 10\u201324 \u2014 tied for worst in the league.<\/p>\n

With a 34.1% chance<\/a> at the No. 1 pick, the pingpong balls bounced the Sparks\u2019 way.<\/p>\n

\"Candace <\/p>\n

Candace Parker, left, and Lisa Leslie crack jokes as they check their height at a Sparks photo shoot in 2008.<\/p>\n

(Damian Dovarganes \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Questions swirled about how Parker and Leslie would coexist. Leslie says she never saw a problem \u2014 only potential. She called herself \u201cSmooth\u201d and Parker \u201cSilk,\u201d and welcomed the role of hardening the rookie, likening it to \u201chaving another baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a time, Leslie lived a few floors from Parker in the team\u2019s player housing, keeping tabs on Parker\u2019s habits. She\u2019d make her oatmeal and slice up fruit because Parker \u201cwouldn\u2019t eat well,\u201d gently pushing through rookie stubbornness toward authority, nudging her toward the weight room and stressing the importance of body maintenance.<\/p>\n

The wisdom of one MVP \u2014 and the freedom granted by Sparks coach Michael Cooper \u2014 helped ignite the greatest rookie season in WNBA history. Parker captured both rookie of the year and MVP honors, joining an exclusive club with NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld.<\/p>\n

\u201cCandace always showed greatness,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cEach generation, we\u2019ve done our part. You carry that torch as far as you can, and hand it off with grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The torch was Parker\u2019s to bear into the next decade. But nine seasons in, she was still chasing her first Finals appearance, let alone a championship. Years of coaching changes, early playoff exits and unmet expectations had left the franchise \u2014 and its star \u2014 without a title.<\/p>\n

Brian Agler\u2019s first year as Sparks head coach started rocky with a 3\u201314 record, as Parker sat out the first half of the 2015 season after playing overseas. As the losses mounted, Parker prepared for a return and called Agler to arrange a closed workout.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she wanted to play into me as, \u2018OK, I\u2019m gonna come back and get ready,\u2019\u201d Agler said. \u201cBut in reality, she was sort of measuring me up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agler believed it was a test to see whether she thought he was the right fit \u2014 if he could lead the team to a championship, just as he had done with the Seattle Storm in 2010.<\/p>\n

\"Sparks <\/p>\n

Sparks forward Candace Parker drives past Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson during a game in 2012.<\/p>\n

(Stacy Bengs \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

By the following season, with the pieces in play, contending for a championship seemed within reach. But the 2016 season wasn\u2019t without turmoil for Parker. She was surprisingly left off the USA Olympic team, faced marital strife and mourned the loss of Summitt, who died of complications from Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

On the court, Parker remained a force, and helped foster the rise of one of the league\u2019s best \u2014 former No. 1 overall pick and MVP Nneka Ogwumike. Like Leslie had done for her, Parker took Ogwumike under her wing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, I was someone who paid attention to what vets did, and I spent a lot of time watching what she did,\u201d Ogwumike said of Parker. \u201cShe helped me understand [the game] from a different lens, from a more advanced perspective coming in from college. We were able to develop some great chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agler said their connection \u201cwas as special as I\u2019ve seen,\u201d adding that Ogwumike \u201cprobably understood Candace better than most anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Parker\u2019s first WNBA Finals, she led the Sparks through a dramatic series against the Lynx, capped by a 28-point and 12-rebound performance in Game 5 to secure the title and Finals MVP.<\/p>\n

Through tears, she found the only words she could muster: \u201cThis is for Pat<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it [the pressure] was there for her,\u201d Agler said. \u201cI just remember when we won, how happy she was. She almost collapsed on the floor with joy. \u2026 That\u2019s really the only time I\u2019ve seen her that way in a public setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after the championship run, a divide grew between Parker and the organization. In her new book, \u201cThe Can-do Mindset<\/a>,\u201d Parker reflects on strained relationships with the front office, a carousel of head coaches and a growing distrust that ultimately fractured her relationship with the Sparks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe culture was toxic, and whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was a part of that culture and had been absorbed in that toxicity,\u201d Parker wrote in her book, referring to the breakup. \u201cI had to admit to myself that I didn\u2019t like who I\u2019d become in my years with the Sparks. It takes two to tango. So though I didn\u2019t create the culture, I was still at fault in my own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chasing more titles and ownership \"Candace <\/p>\n

Candace Parker, center right, celebrates with Chicago Sky teammates after winning the 2021 WNBA title.<\/p>\n

(Paul Beaty \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

After 13 years, Parker decided to leave the Sparks. It\u2019s a move Leslie called \u201cunfortunate,\u201d adding she had \u201cno idea how they let her get away.\u201d But Parker announced she was ready to find \u201ca sense of peace<\/a>,\u201d signing with the Chicago Sky \u2014 moving as close to her native Naperville as possible.<\/p>\n

During free agency, Parker called Azur\u00e1 Stevens<\/a>, who had just wrapped her first season with the Sky. Curious about the team and open to a fresh start, Parker asked about Stevens\u2019 experience. Stevens still describes the conversation as \u201csurreal,\u201d thrilled by the idea of sharing the court with her childhood idol.<\/p>\n

Growing up, Stevens \u2014 now the Sparks\u2019 starting forward \u2014 modeled her game after Parker. Standing 6-foot-6, she admired Parker\u2019s versatility and poise, and now, the two would be teammates in the same starting lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an up-and-down year and went through a lot that season,\u201d Stevens recalls of the team finishing .500. \u201cCandace definitely led the way. \u2026 A strong veteran presence for us to keep us level-headed. And once we got to the playoffs, we flipped the switch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown \u2014 like Stevens \u2014 followed Parker\u2019s career. Finally playing alongside her in Chicago, what stood out wasn\u2019t just Parker\u2019s talent, but her relentless devotion while juggling motherhood, a broadcasting career and a championship run. \u201cI remember watching her on TNT the night before, and she\u2019d pull up to practice with some of her makeup still on,\u201d Brown said. \u201cShe was really dedicated to helping us win. That was a special season for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the twilight of her career, Parker still showed flashes of the once baby-haired assassin who shook up the WNBA. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a homecoming for the whole year,\u201d Stevens said of Parker\u2019s move to Chicago. \u201cBeing able to go back home and then bring a franchise its first championship is really special. The city really showed out for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

After two seasons in Chicago, Parker decided to reunite with Fargas \u2014 the coach who recruited Parker to Tennessee and eventually became president of the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n

With a championship pedigree and legacy to match, Parker\u2019s new role was no longer the star but the connector. Her signing was meant to elevate A\u2019ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young \u2014 all former No. 1 picks \u2014 to their fullest potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe brought a calmness to our team,\u201d Fargas said. \u201cWe already had a high-powered offense. \u2026 But having her on our team definitely helped raise and bring a championship culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aces <\/p>\n

Candace Parker won her third WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.<\/p>\n

(Lindsey Wasson \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The outcome? A third championship with a third different team \u2014 another WNBA first.<\/p>\n

But the victory came with a bittersweet edge. An ankle injury sidelined Parker for much of the season. \u201cShe did everything in her power to get back to us. \u2026 I know that was very difficult for her,\u201d Fargas said.<\/p>\n

With wear and tear piling up, Parker announced<\/a> her retirement \u2014 opening with a borrowed line from a Jay-Z verse on the track \u201cDear Summer<\/a>\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Summer, I know you gon\u2019 miss me …\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love his lyrics, but I love how he\u2019s redefined what rappers are capable of,\u201d Parker said of Jay-Z during an interview with ESPNW<\/a> in 2023. \u201cThat\u2019s what I hope to do for women\u2019s basketball players. \u2026 I want to be that business leader, that business mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after retiring, Parker joined an investment group aiming to bring a WNBA franchise to Tennessee. Billionaire and former Gov. Bill Haslam \u2014 now chairman of the NHL\u2019s Nashville Predators \u2014 and his wife, Crissy, led the Nashville-based bid. They\u2019ve assembled a star-studded roster that includes Parker, Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and country music icons Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I called her the first time, I said, \u2018Candace, we\u2019d love you to be involved, and we don\u2019t just want your name,\u2019\u201d Haslam recalled. \u201cShe was really quick to say, \u2018Well, that\u2019s great, because that\u2019s the only way I would be involved.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

With the WNBA set to expand to 16 teams by 2028, the group submitted its formal bid in January. The group proposes calling the team Tennessee Summitt.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see Candace join an ownership group \u2014 why not?\u201d Fargas said. \u201cWhy aren\u2019t there more opportunities for the players who helped shape this league? Why aren\u2019t there those opportunities to allow them to not only play the game, but also invest in it?\u201d<\/p>\n