One of many biggest, ever.
Candace Parker formally introduced on Sunday that she is retiring from the sport after greater than a decade. Parker is undeniably one of the vital influential, and iconic, gamers within the historical past of girls’s basketball.
A champion and seven-time WNBA All-Star, Parker can also be a mentor, a mom and an inspiration to many. As we have a good time CP3’s legacy, right here’s a glance again at a few of the legendary moments all through her profession:
FIRST WOMAN TO DUNK IN COLLEGE GAME
Parker set the tone from the leap. Again in ’06 as a freshman at Tennessee, she defied the notion that girls can’t dunk and confirmed the world that she will be able to by changing into the primary lady, ever, to dunk within the NCAA Match.
TOTAL DOMINANCE AT TENNESSEE
Enjoying for the late and nice Pat Summitt, Parker dominated whereas suiting up for the Volunteers. Her faculty resume contains:
- Profitable ’06 SEC Rookie of the 12 months.
- Being the quickest participant in Girl Vols historical past to attain 1,000 profession factors.
- Profitable ’07 SEC Participant of the 12 months.
- Main the Girl Vols to back-to-back nationwide championships.
- Averaging 19.4 factors, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and a couple of.4 blocks per recreation.
THE ARRIVAL
Simply in the future after main the Girl Vols to one more NCAA nationwide championship, the Los Angeles Sparks drafted Candace Parker as the general No. 1 choose within the ’08 draft. Actually, that was only the start for Parker, who was set to staff up with Lisa Leslie.
THE ROOKIE’S REIGN
In her WNBA debut in opposition to the Phoenix Mercury, Parker dropped 34 factors, 12 rebounds, and eight assists—breaking Cynthia Cooper’s earlier rookie document in a debut recreation.
Her dominance and skillset was simple. Parker turned the primary WNBA participant to win each Rookie of the 12 months and Most Beneficial Participant in the identical yr. She was additionally pregnant along with her oldest daughter on the finish of the season.
“I used to be really pregnant with [Lailaa] on the finish of the yr, my rookie yr,” Candace advised WSLAM for the duvet of SLAM 233. “I accepted the MVP and Rookie of the 12 months trophy with my daughter after which from there it’s simply been our journey.”
THE 2016 ‘CHIP
Throughout a season that was devoted to Summitt, Parker confirmed up and confirmed out throughout the 2016 season. After beating the Chicago Sky, 3-1, they superior to the Finals for the primary time since ’03 and went on to defeat the Lynx and produce franchise’s third-ever title again to LA. Parker was named Finals MVP.
“I bear in mind quite a bit about that collection. Simply the grind, the main target, the power that it took to even get by way of that collection,” the 2016 Finals MVP advised WSLAM. “I feel it additionally speaks to my innocence, as a result of in 2008, we had an opportunity to go to the Finals and we misplaced on a last-second shot. I had quite a lot of baskets that rolled off the rim. And I feel that recognizing that, like, we received off of a rebound putback…And all people after that’s telling us that we’re the perfect factor ever off of 1 second. I feel it simply type of speaks to the way you gotta keep the course.”
RETURN TO THE CHI
It was the free company announcement that shocked the world. After an illustrious profession in LA, Parker introduced she was taking her abilities to the Chi, a call that was as a lot about household and her life off the courtroom because it was about her profession.
“I imagine numerous issues come full circle,” Parker advised us. “I feel simply over the course of my profession I noticed how a lot vital individuals have meant to my profession. Coming again dwelling, I imply, my dad fastened my blinds the opposite day, we went over to his home for Father’s Day, my mother cooks me pregame, picks up my daughter on a regular basis. Dad brings doughnuts over generally for my daughter, like, it’s simply, I can go see my grandma. I actually respect the time that I moved away from dwelling as a result of I wanted it. I wanted to determine myself in my dwelling and get away from that, however to return again, who I’m now, to essentially recognize it.”
In our SLAM 233 cowl story, CP3 opened up about her determination to affix the Sky, returning dwelling to Chicago and extra.
THE 2021 ‘CHIP
Historical past. Not solely did Parker play a key function in serving to lead the Sky to the 2021 WNBA championship, the franchise’s first, however she was famend for her management—within the SLAM 236 cowl story, even former teammate Kahleah Copper praised her for it (learn right here).
TO VEGAS
But once more, Parker’s determination to take her abilities elsewhere, this time Vegas, was centered round household. Regardless of damage, Parker’s presence added to Aces’s star studded roster because the staff went on to win their second title as a franchise.
THANK YOU, CANDACE!
