Candace Parker
Encyclopedia
Candace Nicole Parker is an All-America
n basketball
player for the WNBA
's Los Angeles Sparks
and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker
. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008
. She may be best known for being the first woman to dunk
in an NCAA tournament
game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game —she set both milestones as a redshirt freshman on March 19, 2006. She also became only the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008.
A versatile player, she is mainly a forward, but was listed on Tennessee's roster as a forward, center, and guard. She was a starter on the Lady Vols
basketball team, winners of the 2007 and 2008 NCAA championships.
Parker won the 2009 Nickelodeon
Kids' Choice award as the favorite female athlete in the sports category.
, and Larry, who is in the insurance business. She has two older brothers: Anthony Parker
, who is an NBA player, and Marcus, who is a doctor.
She grew up in Naperville, Illinois
. Her whole family loved basketball, and she began playing at an early age. Her father had played at the University of Iowa
in the 1970s. The family was also huge Chicago Bulls
fans. Candace was 2nd guessing about playing basketball, fearing she would not live up to the level of play her father and brother demonstrated, so she focused on playing soccer. It wasn't until the eighth grade that her family convinced her to play. Her father would help coach and critique her. Candace said of the experience, "He did things to make me mad, to challenge me, because I was so much more athletic and had so much more knowledge of the game than everyone else that sometimes I just coasted. If me and my dad went to a park and he didn't think I was practicing hard enough, he'd just get in the car and leave. And I'd have to run home. I mean run home. Once I figured that out, I'd always try to go to close-by-parks."
, who is currently playing guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers
, she attended Naperville Central High School
in Naperville, Illinois
; she graduated in 2004. While she was in her sophomore year, she became the first female high-school player and only the fifth woman at any level, to dunk a basketball in a sanctioned game. "The first two times I tried it in games I failed. Embarrassing. The third time was a charm, and then cameras and reporters were everywhere--everyone wanted to talk about dunking." While in high school, Parker led her basketball team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004 and amassed numerous accolades.
She is the only two-time award winner of the USA Today
Player of the Year, winning the award in 2003 and 2004. Parker also won the Naismith
and Gatorade
Awards as national basketball player of the year for each of those years. She joins Marion Jones
, Greg Oden
, Brandon Knight
and LeBron James
as the only back to back winners of the Gatorade honor. Parker was named a WBCA
All-American. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored nine points. In March 2004, she won the slam dunk contest at McDonald's All-American Game, and she beat a lot of the top male athletes in the country, including two first round draft picks. She also won the USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
, or the USA Today Player of the Year Award.
She was a consensus pick as player of the year in Illinois
in 2002, 2003, and 2004. A four-year member of the All-State first team, Parker compiled a school-record 2,768 points (22.9 points per game) and 1,592 rebounds (13.2 rebounds per game), while starting 119 of the 121 games in which she played. She also became the first women's player to announce her NCAA
women's basketball verbal commitment live on ESPNEWS
.
The summer after her junior year in high school, Parker tore her ACL
in her left knee in a summer league game. She returned in December of her senior year and went on to lead her school to its second consecutive state title.
In August 2004, the "CP-3"s, Team USA roommates Candace Parker and Courtney Paris
, led the undefeated USA Junior World Championship team to a Gold medal
with 16.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 15.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg respectively. While training, Parker had a relapse of knee pain and was required to undergo surgery in her lateral meniscus
and the lateral articular cartilage in her left knee.
Late in her high school career, Ms. Parker was featured in an episode of the television show Switched
. She traded places, for a short time, with an East Coast surfer of the same age.
. She took a medical redshirt her freshman year of college, and started for the Tennessee Lady Vols
during the 2005-06 season. She would make history yet again as she would dunk twice in one game. Carol Ross, head coach of the University of Mississippi
Ole Miss Rebels
, said this of Parker: "She's the toughest matchup in the game. On many nights, she's the best guard on the floor, the best post on the floor, the best rebounder on the floor, the best passer on the floor, and, let's not forget, the best scorer on the floor. She's got the strut of a competitor and the stuff of a champion."
She was the Southeastern Conference
Rookie of the Year (Coaches and AP) and helped the Lady Vols win the 2006 SEC Tournament Championship. With 17 seconds remaining in the 2006 SEC Tournament Championship Game against LSU
, Parker hit the game-winning shot. She was named Tournament MVP and was named to the 2006 Kodak All-America team, making her one of the few to ever receive the award as a freshman. However, in the NCAA Tournament regional finals against North Carolina
, Parker got in early foul trouble and was out of the game for much of the first half. The University of North Carolina ultimately won the game.
Parker was the only college player named to the USA squad for the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women
in Brazil
. The USA squad finished in third place.
On January 28, 2007, in an away game against Alabama, Parker scored her 1,000th career point as a sophomore making her the fastest player in Lady Vol history to do so. She did it in 56 games, besting Chamique Holdsclaw
's mark of 57 games and Tamika Catchings
's of 58 games. On March 1, at the SEC tournament in Duluth, Georgia, Parker was named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year. On April 3, she led the Lady Vols to their first National Championship victory since 1998, beating Rutgers 59-46; Parker finished the game with 17 points and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player
honor.
Parker announced on February 21, 2008 that she would forego her final season of eligibility at Tennessee in order to focus on the 2008 Olympics
and pursue a professional career. She graduated with her incoming class in May 2008. A sports management major who had a 3.35 grade point average as of December 2007, she was named University Division Academic All-American of the Year in women's basketball for 2008 by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
On April 8, 2008, Parker led the Lady Vols to their second straight NCAA women's title, the eighth championship for Tennessee. She was also named the MVP for the second consecutive tournament, joining Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw
and Diana Taurasi
as the only female players to have done so. She won the honor despite suffering a dislocated shoulder during her team's regional finals win, but returned (wearing a white long-sleeve T-shirt under her jersey) and led the Lady Vols to the title. Although Parker had a year of eligibility remaining due to her medical redshirt in the 2004-2005 season, she opted to enter the WNBA Draft following the championship victory. While at Tennessee, she compiled a record of 101 wins and 10 losses.
by the Los Angeles Sparks
. She currently plays alongside Olympic teammates Tina Thompson and Delisha Milton-Jones
. Shannon Bobbitt (Parker's teammate at Tennessee) joined the Sparks after being drafted in the second round.
On May 17, 2008, in her debut game against the Phoenix Mercury
, she recorded 34 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Her 34 points broke the record for a rookie in a debut game. The record was previously held by Cynthia Cooper
, who scored 25 points in her debut game in 1997.
On June 22, 2008, she became the second woman in WNBA history-after her teammate Lisa Leslie
-to dunk during a regulation WNBA game against the Indiana Fever and Michelle Snow
in the 2006 WNBA All-Star game. The dunk was on the same basket as the dunk of her teammate.
Parker was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Month for the month of May 2008. She received the same honor for July 2008.
In August 2008, the WNBA suspended play for a couple of weeks to some of their players to join the U.S.'s National Women's Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Parker was selected to go, as was teammate Lisa Leslie, and the US team cruised with 8 straight victories to achieve the gold medal. They won games with an average margin of 38.8 points. They faced Australia
in the final game, and won, 92-65. Parker averaged 9.4 points in the tournament, and scored 14 in the finals game.
On October 3, 2008, she was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Year as well as Most Valuable Player for the 2008 WNBA season. She became the first WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in the same season. In addition, she also joined Wilt Chamberlain
and Wes Unseld
as the only professional American basketball players to win both ROY and MVP trophies in the same season.
Candace Parker missed the 2009 WNBA season after having her baby girl Lailaa, but on June 30 Candace returned to practice with her teammates for the first time. She played her first game back from maternity leave on July 5, 2009. Candace earned 2nd Team All-WNBA honors despite missing almost a full month. She led the Sparks to the Western Conference Finals but lost in 3 games to the Phoenix Mercury. In the playoffs Parker averaged 18 points and over 10 rebounds per game. She missed most of the 2010 WNBA season due to a shoulder injury.
In 2011, Candace Parker played six games. During the seventh game, with 5:56 left in the third quarter, Parker went down after grabbing a defensive rebound and making brief contact with Quanitra Hollingsworth
. After getting an MRI on June 27th, she found out she had a torn meniscus in her right knee. Parker may be out of the season for approximately six weeks.
Parker was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.
. With 4.5 seconds before the game was officially over, the fighting began on the court after Plenette Pierson
made a hard box out after a free throw on Candace Parker; the two players became entangled and Parker fell to the ground. As Parker was down, Pierson stormed over to Parker and aggressively walked over the top of her; in response, Parker tackled Pierson to the court. Parker threw a punch at Pierson before being tackled by Deanna Nolan
as players and coaches from both teams joined in. Coach Rick Mahorn
came off the bench — as a peacemaker — but the 6-10, 300-plus pounder incited more violence when he inadvertently knocked Los Angeles forward Lisa Leslie
to the floor. Leslie's teammate, DeLisha Milton-Jones
, then came to her rescue by punching a stunned Mahorn in the shoulder. In response, Mahorn was hit by Sparks players Milton-Jones, Murriel Page
and Shannon Bobbitt
. Pierson, Parker, Milton-Jones, and Mahorn were all ejected. The altercation also resulted in a season-ending ACL injury to Cheryl Ford
, who was trying to restrain her teammate.
| align="left" | 2008
| align="left" | Los Angeles
| 33 || 33 || 33.6 || .523 || .423 || .733 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|9.5 || 3.4 || 1.3 || 2.3 || 2.82 || 18.5
|-
| align="left" | 2009
| align="left" | Los Angeles
| 25 || 24 || 32.6 || .485 || .208 || .763 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|9.8 || 2.6 || 0.6 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|2.1 || 2.20 || 13.1
|-
| align="left" | 2010
| align="left" | Los Angeles
| 10 || 10 || 33.5 || .500 || .250 || .732 || 10.1 || 2.2 || 1.0 || 2.2 || 3.20 || 20.6
|-
| align="left" | 2011
| align="left" | Los Angeles
| 17 || 16 || 32.6 || .511 || .419 || .736 || 8.6 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 1.6 || 1.94 || 18.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |4 years, 1 team
| 85 || 83 || 33.1 || .508 || .352 || .739 || 9.5 || 2.9 || 1.0 || 2.1 || 2.51 || 17.2
| align="left" | 2008
| align="left" | Los Angeles
| 6 || 6 || 36.5 || .459 || .000 || .759 || 9.8 || 3.8 || 1.5 || 2.2 || 2.83 || 15.0
|-
| align="left" | 2009
| align="left" | Los Angeles
| 6 || 6 || 35.2 || .535 || .250 || .705 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|10.7 || 1.7 || 0.8 || 1.8 || 1.67 || 18.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |2 years, 1 team
| 12 || 12 || 35.8 || .497 || .091 || .726 || 10.3 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 2.0 || 16.5
, who was a college basketball star for Duke University
, and current player for the New York Knicks. The couple welcomed a baby girl named Lailaa Nicole Williams at 11:29 AM on Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Lailaa was born weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.
Parker grew up in Chicago adoring the Bulls
and was a Michael Jordan
fan. Her all-time favorite player is Ron Harper
, of whom she has a picture hanging in her bedroom. She has two dogs: a St. Bernard
mix named Fendi and a pug
named Nino, who is named after a character in the movie New Jack City
. Parker’s favorite movies are Love and Basketball and He Got Game
. She also likes to listen to Disney soundtracks such as The Little Mermaid
and watch Full House
and The Cosby Show
.
Parker was named Academic All-American 2007–08 by the ESPN the magazine. She had a 3.55 GPA when she won this award.
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
's Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker
Anthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before...
. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008
2008 WNBA Draft
The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....
. She may be best known for being the first woman to dunk
Slam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
in an NCAA tournament
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game —she set both milestones as a redshirt freshman on March 19, 2006. She also became only the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008.
A versatile player, she is mainly a forward, but was listed on Tennessee's roster as a forward, center, and guard. She was a starter on the Lady Vols
Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition...
basketball team, winners of the 2007 and 2008 NCAA championships.
Parker won the 2009 Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Kids' Choice award as the favorite female athlete in the sports category.
Early life
Candace Parker was born on April 19, 1986 to Natasha, who currently works for the front office of the Chicago SkyChicago Sky
The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender...
, and Larry, who is in the insurance business. She has two older brothers: Anthony Parker
Anthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before...
, who is an NBA player, and Marcus, who is a doctor.
She grew up in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
. Her whole family loved basketball, and she began playing at an early age. Her father had played at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in the 1970s. The family was also huge Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
fans. Candace was 2nd guessing about playing basketball, fearing she would not live up to the level of play her father and brother demonstrated, so she focused on playing soccer. It wasn't until the eighth grade that her family convinced her to play. Her father would help coach and critique her. Candace said of the experience, "He did things to make me mad, to challenge me, because I was so much more athletic and had so much more knowledge of the game than everyone else that sometimes I just coasted. If me and my dad went to a park and he didn't think I was practicing hard enough, he'd just get in the car and leave. And I'd have to run home. I mean run home. Once I figured that out, I'd always try to go to close-by-parks."
High School
Like her older brother Anthony ParkerAnthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association . After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before...
, who is currently playing guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
, she attended Naperville Central High School
Naperville Central High School
Naperville Central High School is a public four-year comprehensive school ranked in the top 3% of high schools nationally by US News and World Report, covering grades nine through twelve in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb southwest of Chicago in the United States...
in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
; she graduated in 2004. While she was in her sophomore year, she became the first female high-school player and only the fifth woman at any level, to dunk a basketball in a sanctioned game. "The first two times I tried it in games I failed. Embarrassing. The third time was a charm, and then cameras and reporters were everywhere--everyone wanted to talk about dunking." While in high school, Parker led her basketball team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004 and amassed numerous accolades.
She is the only two-time award winner of the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
Player of the Year, winning the award in 2003 and 2004. Parker also won the Naismith
Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award
The Naismith Prep Player of the Year award, named for Canadian basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to high school basketball's top male and female player...
and Gatorade
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
Awards as national basketball player of the year for each of those years. She joins Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
, Greg Oden
Greg Oden
Gregory Wayne Oden, Jr. is an American basketball player at the center position. Oden is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA....
, Brandon Knight
Brandon Knight (basketball)
Brandon Knight is an American professional basketball point guard with the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Knight won the 2009 and 2010 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Awards...
and LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
as the only back to back winners of the Gatorade honor. Parker was named a WBCA
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
All-American. She participated in the 2004 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored nine points. In March 2004, she won the slam dunk contest at McDonald's All-American Game, and she beat a lot of the top male athletes in the country, including two first round draft picks. She also won the USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
Each year, USA Today, an American newspaper, awards outstanding high-school basketball players with a place on its male and female All-USA high school basketball teams. The newspaper names athletes whom it believes to be the best basketball players from high schools around the United States...
, or the USA Today Player of the Year Award.
She was a consensus pick as player of the year in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 2002, 2003, and 2004. A four-year member of the All-State first team, Parker compiled a school-record 2,768 points (22.9 points per game) and 1,592 rebounds (13.2 rebounds per game), while starting 119 of the 121 games in which she played. She also became the first women's player to announce her NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
women's basketball verbal commitment live on ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS , launched on November 1, 1996, is a 24-hour-a-day sports news television channel...
.
The summer after her junior year in high school, Parker tore her ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in her left knee in a summer league game. She returned in December of her senior year and went on to lead her school to its second consecutive state title.
In August 2004, the "CP-3"s, Team USA roommates Candace Parker and Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris
Courtney Paris most recently played for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, she was the senior starting center for the University of Oklahoma women's basketball team. Her twin sister, player Ashley Paris, was also a Sooner.-Early life:In addition to being a twin, Paris has four brothers: Wayne, David,...
, led the undefeated USA Junior World Championship team to a Gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
with 16.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 15.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg respectively. While training, Parker had a relapse of knee pain and was required to undergo surgery in her lateral meniscus
Lateral meniscus
The lateral meniscus, also called the external semilunar fibrocartilage, is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It is nearly circular and covers a larger portion of the...
and the lateral articular cartilage in her left knee.
Late in her high school career, Ms. Parker was featured in an episode of the television show Switched
Switched
Switched may refer to:* Switched , an American music group* "Switched" , an episode of the American TV series Teen Titans* Switched!, an American TV series* Switched! , a Singaporean Chinese TV series...
. She traded places, for a short time, with an East Coast surfer of the same age.
College years
Parker attended the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. She took a medical redshirt her freshman year of college, and started for the Tennessee Lady Vols
Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition...
during the 2005-06 season. She would make history yet again as she would dunk twice in one game. Carol Ross, head coach of the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss Rebels
University of Mississippi sports teams, originally known as the "Mississippi Flood" , were re-named the Rebels in 1936 and compete in the twelve-member Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I. The school's colors are cardinal red and navy blue , purposely chosen to mirror the school...
, said this of Parker: "She's the toughest matchup in the game. On many nights, she's the best guard on the floor, the best post on the floor, the best rebounder on the floor, the best passer on the floor, and, let's not forget, the best scorer on the floor. She's got the strut of a competitor and the stuff of a champion."
She was the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Rookie of the Year (Coaches and AP) and helped the Lady Vols win the 2006 SEC Tournament Championship. With 17 seconds remaining in the 2006 SEC Tournament Championship Game against LSU
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers are the athletic teams of Louisiana State University. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports . Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers and the school mascot is Mike the Tiger...
, Parker hit the game-winning shot. She was named Tournament MVP and was named to the 2006 Kodak All-America team, making her one of the few to ever receive the award as a freshman. However, in the NCAA Tournament regional finals against North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, Parker got in early foul trouble and was out of the game for much of the first half. The University of North Carolina ultimately won the game.
Parker was the only college player named to the USA squad for the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women
2006 FIBA World Championship for Women
The 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women took place in Brazil from September 12 to September 23, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation and Confederação Brasileira de Basketball, the Brazilian national federation....
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The USA squad finished in third place.
On January 28, 2007, in an away game against Alabama, Parker scored her 1,000th career point as a sophomore making her the fastest player in Lady Vol history to do so. She did it in 56 games, besting Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...
's mark of 57 games and Tamika Catchings
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Devonne Catchings is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and Turkish team Galatasaray. She is a prolific scorer close to and far from the basket, as well as a capable rebounder, ball handler, and defender. After playing at Adlai E...
's of 58 games. On March 1, at the SEC tournament in Duluth, Georgia, Parker was named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year. On April 3, she led the Lady Vols to their first National Championship victory since 1998, beating Rutgers 59-46; Parker finished the game with 17 points and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships , the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. The MOP need not be, but almost always is a member of the Championship team, especially since the third place game was eliminated after 1981...
honor.
Parker announced on February 21, 2008 that she would forego her final season of eligibility at Tennessee in order to focus on the 2008 Olympics
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 2008 Olympic Games were held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China...
and pursue a professional career. She graduated with her incoming class in May 2008. A sports management major who had a 3.35 grade point average as of December 2007, she was named University Division Academic All-American of the Year in women's basketball for 2008 by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
On April 8, 2008, Parker led the Lady Vols to their second straight NCAA women's title, the eighth championship for Tennessee. She was also named the MVP for the second consecutive tournament, joining Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...
and Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...
as the only female players to have done so. She won the honor despite suffering a dislocated shoulder during her team's regional finals win, but returned (wearing a white long-sleeve T-shirt under her jersey) and led the Lady Vols to the title. Although Parker had a year of eligibility remaining due to her medical redshirt in the 2004-2005 season, she opted to enter the WNBA Draft following the championship victory. While at Tennessee, she compiled a record of 101 wins and 10 losses.
WNBA
Just after the NCAA victory, Parker was selected as the first pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft2008 WNBA Draft
The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....
by the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
. She currently plays alongside Olympic teammates Tina Thompson and Delisha Milton-Jones
DeLisha Milton-Jones
DeLisha Milton-Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association . Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. In her twelve-season WNBA career, she has played for the Washington Mystics and Los...
. Shannon Bobbitt (Parker's teammate at Tennessee) joined the Sparks after being drafted in the second round.
On May 17, 2008, in her debut game against the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
, she recorded 34 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Her 34 points broke the record for a rookie in a debut game. The record was previously held by Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Cooper (basketball)
Cynthia Lynne Cooper is a former American basketball player who has won championships in college, the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association . She is considered by many as one of the greatest women's basketball players ever. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the...
, who scored 25 points in her debut game in 1997.
On June 22, 2008, she became the second woman in WNBA history-after her teammate Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
-to dunk during a regulation WNBA game against the Indiana Fever and Michelle Snow
Michelle Snow
Donnette Jé-Michelle Snow is an American professional basketball player from the WNBA. She currently plays the center position for the Chicago Sky.-High school years:...
in the 2006 WNBA All-Star game. The dunk was on the same basket as the dunk of her teammate.
Parker was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Month for the month of May 2008. She received the same honor for July 2008.
In August 2008, the WNBA suspended play for a couple of weeks to some of their players to join the U.S.'s National Women's Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Parker was selected to go, as was teammate Lisa Leslie, and the US team cruised with 8 straight victories to achieve the gold medal. They won games with an average margin of 38.8 points. They faced Australia
Australia women's national basketball team
The Australia Women's National Basketball Team is the women's National Basketball team for Australia. They won Gold at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 defeating New Zealand's Tall Ferns in the final match with a score of 77–39. They then followed it up with a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA...
in the final game, and won, 92-65. Parker averaged 9.4 points in the tournament, and scored 14 in the finals game.
On October 3, 2008, she was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Year as well as Most Valuable Player for the 2008 WNBA season. She became the first WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in the same season. In addition, she also joined Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
and Wes Unseld
Wes Unseld
Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld is an American former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life and college career:Unseld starred on a Seneca High School team...
as the only professional American basketball players to win both ROY and MVP trophies in the same season.
Candace Parker missed the 2009 WNBA season after having her baby girl Lailaa, but on June 30 Candace returned to practice with her teammates for the first time. She played her first game back from maternity leave on July 5, 2009. Candace earned 2nd Team All-WNBA honors despite missing almost a full month. She led the Sparks to the Western Conference Finals but lost in 3 games to the Phoenix Mercury. In the playoffs Parker averaged 18 points and over 10 rebounds per game. She missed most of the 2010 WNBA season due to a shoulder injury.
In 2011, Candace Parker played six games. During the seventh game, with 5:56 left in the third quarter, Parker went down after grabbing a defensive rebound and making brief contact with Quanitra Hollingsworth
Quanitra Hollingsworth
Quanitra Hollingsworth is an American professional basketball player. She currently plays the center position for the New York Liberty in the WNBA.-References:...
. After getting an MRI on June 27th, she found out she had a torn meniscus in her right knee. Parker may be out of the season for approximately six weeks.
Parker was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.
The Brawl
On July 22, 2008 Parker was involved in a fight during a game against the Detroit ShockDetroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
. With 4.5 seconds before the game was officially over, the fighting began on the court after Plenette Pierson
Plenette Pierson
Plenette Pierson is a professional WNBA player for the New York Liberty. In the 2007 season, Pierson won the first ever Sixth Woman of the Year Award given in the WNBA.-College:...
made a hard box out after a free throw on Candace Parker; the two players became entangled and Parker fell to the ground. As Parker was down, Pierson stormed over to Parker and aggressively walked over the top of her; in response, Parker tackled Pierson to the court. Parker threw a punch at Pierson before being tackled by Deanna Nolan
Deanna Nolan
Deanna "Tweety" Nicole Nolan is an American professional basketball player for the WNBA. Her primary position is shooting guard, but occasionally plays the point guard position...
as players and coaches from both teams joined in. Coach Rick Mahorn
Rick Mahorn
Derrick Allen Mahorn is a retired American NBA basketball player who, at 6'10", played power forward and center...
came off the bench — as a peacemaker — but the 6-10, 300-plus pounder incited more violence when he inadvertently knocked Los Angeles forward Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
to the floor. Leslie's teammate, DeLisha Milton-Jones
DeLisha Milton-Jones
DeLisha Milton-Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association . Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. In her twelve-season WNBA career, she has played for the Washington Mystics and Los...
, then came to her rescue by punching a stunned Mahorn in the shoulder. In response, Mahorn was hit by Sparks players Milton-Jones, Murriel Page
Murriel Page
LaMurriel "Murriel" Page is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a forward and center in the Women's National Basketball Association for eleven seasons. Page played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was drafted in the first round of the 1998...
and Shannon Bobbitt
Shannon Bobbitt
Shannon Denise Bobbitt is an American professional basketball player for the WNBA's Indiana Fever. One of eight children and a native of the Bronx, New York Bobbitt honed her basketball skills on the neighborhood project courts of Harlem...
. Pierson, Parker, Milton-Jones, and Mahorn were all ejected. The altercation also resulted in a season-ending ACL injury to Cheryl Ford
Cheryl Ford
Cheryl Ford is a professional basketball player in the WNBA.-Personal information:Cheryl Ford is the daughter of Bonita Ford and former NBA player Karl Malone.-High school:...
, who was trying to restrain her teammate.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2008
2008 WNBA season
-Season Highlights:*Candace Parker becomes the second and third player in WNBA history to dunk in a regular season game.*A fight breaks out between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock resulting in four ejections and ten suspensions....
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
| 33 || 33 || 33.6 || .523 || .423 || .733 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|9.5 || 3.4 || 1.3 || 2.3 || 2.82 || 18.5
|-
| align="left" | 2009
2009 WNBA season
The 2009 WNBA Season is the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season ever without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008...
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
| 25 || 24 || 32.6 || .485 || .208 || .763 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|9.8 || 2.6 || 0.6 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|2.1 || 2.20 || 13.1
|-
| align="left" | 2010
2010 WNBA season
The 2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona on May 15. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 10th Annual All-Star...
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
| 10 || 10 || 33.5 || .500 || .250 || .732 || 10.1 || 2.2 || 1.0 || 2.2 || 3.20 || 20.6
|-
| align="left" | 2011
2011 WNBA season
The 2011 WNBA season is the 15th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on June 3 with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Minnesota Lynx, featuring 2011 WNBA Draft top pick Maya Moore, in a game televised on NBA TV...
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
| 17 || 16 || 32.6 || .511 || .419 || .736 || 8.6 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 1.6 || 1.94 || 18.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |4 years, 1 team
| 85 || 83 || 33.1 || .508 || .352 || .739 || 9.5 || 2.9 || 1.0 || 2.1 || 2.51 || 17.2
Postseason
|-| align="left" | 2008
2008 WNBA Playoffs
The 2008 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2008 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock defeating the Western Conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars 3-0.-Format:...
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
| 6 || 6 || 36.5 || .459 || .000 || .759 || 9.8 || 3.8 || 1.5 || 2.2 || 2.83 || 15.0
|-
| align="left" | 2009
2009 WNBA Playoffs
The 2009 WNBA Playoffs is the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2009 season.-Format:*The top 4 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.**All 4 teams are seeded by basis of their standings....
| align="left" | Los Angeles
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
| 6 || 6 || 35.2 || .535 || .250 || .705 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|10.7 || 1.7 || 0.8 || 1.8 || 1.67 || 18.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |2 years, 1 team
| 12 || 12 || 35.8 || .497 || .091 || .726 || 10.3 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 2.0 || 16.5
Personal life
On November 13, 2008, Parker married her fiancé, Shelden WilliamsShelden Williams
Shelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...
, who was a college basketball star for Duke University
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...
, and current player for the New York Knicks. The couple welcomed a baby girl named Lailaa Nicole Williams at 11:29 AM on Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Lailaa was born weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long.
Parker grew up in Chicago adoring the Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and was a Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
fan. Her all-time favorite player is Ron Harper
Ron Harper
Ronald "Ron" Harper is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in the NBA. At 6 ft 6 in , his position was shooting guard/point guard.- Collegiate career :...
, of whom she has a picture hanging in her bedroom. She has two dogs: a St. Bernard
St. Bernard (dog)
The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.-Appearance:The St. Bernard is a large dog...
mix named Fendi and a pug
Pug
The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...
named Nino, who is named after a character in the movie New Jack City
New Jack City
New Jack City is a 1991 crime film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson, and Chris Rock. Snipes stars as Nino Brown, a rising drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic...
. Parker’s favorite movies are Love and Basketball and He Got Game
He Got Game
He Got Game is a 1998 American sports-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife...
. She also likes to listen to Disney soundtracks such as The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (soundtrack)
- Unreleased Songs/Score :Several pieces of music from the movie remain unreleased in any format from Disney. The most important and most puzzling is a short reprise of Ursula's song Poor Unfortunate Souls which appears in the movie right before Eric and Vanessa's wedding. This song has been...
and watch Full House
Full House
Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
and The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
.
Parker was named Academic All-American 2007–08 by the ESPN the magazine. She had a 3.55 GPA when she won this award.
Records
- 1st WNBA player to win WNBA MVP and WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in the same season.
- 1st WNBA player to dunk in consecutive games
- Most points scored (34) by a rookie in her debut.
High School
- All-Area Team (2001-2004: Chicago Sun Times, News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune)
- All-State Team (2001-2004: AP, Chicago Sun Times, News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune, IBCA)
- Gatorade Illinois State Player of the Year (2002–2004)
- Illinois Miss Basketball (2002–2004)
- Illinois State Player of the Year (2002–2004: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, Naperville Sun and News-Gazette)
- First Team All-American (2002–2004: Nike, 2000-2004: Parade, Street & Smith's, USA Today, 2004: McDonald's)
- Second Team All-American (2002: Parade, Student Sports)
- Third Team All-American (2002: USA Today)
- Fourth Team All-American (2002: Street & Smith's)
- Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003–2004)
- USA Today High School Player of the Year (2003–2004)
- 2004 Powerade Jam Fest Winner
- Gatorade High School Player of the Year (2003–2004)
- 2004 Women's Sports Foundation High School Athlete of the Year
College
- 2007/08 - Junior
- 2008 Academic All-America of the Year, University Division
- 2008 Associated Press Player of the Year
- 2008 Naismith Trophy Winner
- 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- 2008 John R. Wooden AwardJohn R. Wooden AwardThe John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
winner - 2008 Basketball Honda Sports Award Winner
- 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Oklahoma City Region Most Outstanding Player
- 2008 ESPN.com Player of the Year
- 2007/08 Honda-Broderick CupHonda-Broderick CupThe Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by the late Thomas Broderick, owner of a sports apparel company, in 1977, with the first award going to...
winner - 2007/08 SEC Female Athlete of the Year
- 2008 Kodak All-American
- 2008 SEC Tournament MVP
- 2008 SEC Tournament First Team
- 2008 All-SEC First Team
- 2008 BETBlack Entertainment TelevisionBlack Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
Female Athlete of the Year - 2008 Best Female College Athlete ESPY AwardBest Female College Athlete ESPY AwardThe Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award has been presented annually since 2002 to the female sportsperson, irrespective of university represented or sport contested, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year of those contesting collegiate sport in the United States through the National...
winner - 2008 Best Female Athlete ESPY AwardBest Female Athlete ESPY AwardThe Best Female Athlete ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Outstanding Female Athlete ESPY Award, has been presented annually since 1993 to the female, irrespective of nationality or sport contested, adjudged to be the best athlete in a given calendar year.Between 1993 and 2004, the award...
winner
- 2006/07 - Sophomore
- 2007 SEC Player of the Week (2/12, 3/1)
- 2007 SEC Player of the Year
- 2007 First Team All-SEC
- 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament - Dayton Regional Most Outstanding Player.
- 2007 1st Team All-American (AP, Kodak, John R. Wooden)
- 2007 Wade TrophyWade TrophyThe Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coach Lily Margaret Wade. The award debuted in 1978 as the first–ever...
Winner - 2007 USBWA Player of the Year
- 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- 2007 John R. Wooden Award Winner
- 2007 Basketball Honda Sports Award Winner
- 2005/06 - Freshman
- 2006 NCAA Cleveland Regional All-Region Team
- 2006 SEC Tournament MVP
- 2006 SEC Freshman of the Year
- 2006 All-SEC First Team
- 2006 All-SEC Freshman Team
- 2006 SEC Freshman of the Week (12/5, 12/19, 1/10, 1/16)
- 2006 SEC Player of the Week (1/16)
- 2006 Lady Vol Athlete of the Week (11/28, 1/16)
- 2006 Lady Vol Athlete of the Month (January)
- 2006 AP Second Team All-American
- 2006 Kodak All-American
WNBA
- 2008 Most Valuable Player Award winner
- 2008 Rookie of the Year AwardWNBA Rookie of the Year AwardThe Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States, each of whom...
winner - 2008 APAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Female Athlete of the Year - 2008 All-WNBA TeamAll-WNBA TeamThe All-WNBA Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every WNBA season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States. The team has been selected in every season of the...
member - 2008 WNBA All-Rookie TeamWNBA All-Rookie TeamThe WNBA All-Rookie Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. Each coach selects five...
member
External links
- Candace Parker Official Site CandaceParker.com
- Candace Parker Profile VIBE