Candace Parker
Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parkeris an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She is the younger sister of former NBA player Anthony Parker. She attended the University of Tennessee and was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks 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...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth19 April 1986
CitySt. Louis, MO
CountryUnited States of America
I wouldn't mind being the female MJ. I want to have major crossover appeal.
From my first dunk at 14 years old to my second NCAA Championship at the University of Tennessee, my intense training with my dad was always to credit.
I look at it this way: the WNBA is 13 years young. I think eventually women will get to that point, maybe in my daughter's generation, where their salaries will be similar to men's. But we're still starting off, like, where the NBA was back in the 1950s.
I think it's great that young girls have the WNBA to look up to now.
On my best days, such as when I was a junior in high school coming off a 42-point performance and near triple-double, my dad was there to tell me I haven't arrived yet and bring me back to reality.
I don't think I would take the game with the same mentality that I do now if I hadn't been injured.
My dad was my first coach and drove me extremely hard from a very young age.
So you have to take the good with the bad.
For me, family has always come first.
You're measured by championships no matter what.
Today I know that there is still work to be done, but along the way I am achieving my dreams.
I'm not going to force anything. If it's a close game, a two- or three-point game, I'll make the decision that's best for the team.
I just went up and did it. I didn't really think about it.
My whole career has been trying to please people in basketball. Now it's time to please myself.