Of course, it’s a big game no matter what — cigars and all — and the college football fans who were lucky enough to attend the game in person at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville got to see WNBA star Candace Parker hype up the Tennessee crowd.
“It feels like home,” Parker said about going back to Knoxville. “Every time I come back, it’s just like another feeling of just being at home and seeing everybody and being proud to wear orange. It’s surreal, honestly.”
After Sabrina Ionescu’s coaching turn, Candace Parker is the latest WNBA star to take her turn at mentoring the late Kobe Bryant’s daughter at basketball.
In an Instagram story, Parker shared a beautiful snippet of her coaching Bryant’s daughter, Bianka, during a recent private teaching session. It’s a delightful, heartwarming peak at one of the greatest basketball players of the modern era, taking a child of another legend under her wings.
You know this was especially meaningful to Parker, given the wonderful caption referring to herself as “Aunty Candace,” who was helping along the “Mini Mamba.”
We simply can’t get enough of this kind of precious work:
Candace Parker coaching up Kobe & Vanessa’s daughter, Bianka 💜🏀
For the second time in three days, the Seattle Storm hosted the Chicago Sky. Together, the teams boast five players who once represented Notre Dame. The Storm won the third and final matchup between the teams for the regular season, 84-71.
The Storm’s [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] led the former Irish players with 20 points despite shooting only 6-of-20 from the field. [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag], Loyd’s fellow starting guard, scored 15 points and led all players with eight assists.
For the Sky, [autotag]Marina Mabrey[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] tied for the team lead with six assists apiece. Mabrey scored 14 points but had a game-high four turnovers. Allen made a single basket on two field-goal attempts.
[autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag], who played on her 28th birthday when these teams met the other night, was left on the bench for the third time in four games.
This game also was notable for Angel Reese recording her WNBA-record 13th straight double-double, breaking a record previously held by Candace Parker. We’ll see if she can wrestle Rookie of the Year honors away from Caitlin Clark.
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A’ja Wilson produced 29 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Aces to a dominating over the Lynx on Wednesday.
The Las Vegas Aces dominated the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, winning 80-66. A’ja Wilson recorded her fifth consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound game with 29 points and 15 rebounds, breaking the WNBA record for the longest streak in history.
The previous record of four straight such performances was held twice by Sylvia Fowles and once by Tina Charles and Glory Johnson, respectively. This was Wilson’s 81st career double-double, which ranks fourth among active players.
A’ja Wilson recorded her 5th consecutive 20+ PTS & 10+ REB double-double in the Aces win over the Lynx
This is now the longest streak in WNBA History 🙌
Prev: Sylvia Fowles (4, 2x in 2011) Tina Charles (4, 2021) Glory Johnson (4, 2017) pic.twitter.com/vpXJT5sKLq
Wilson not only played offensively, but her defensive performance was also notable, setting rebounding and blocking records. Wilson finished the game with 15 rebounds, which means she has 10 or more rebounds in five straight games, the longest active streak in the league. WNBA legend Candace Parker is the only player with more consecutive double-digit rebound performances, with 12. Additionally, Wilson has blocked at least one shot in 14 straight games, the longest active streak in the WNBA.
The Aces’ next game is on the road on May 31 against the Atlanta Dream.
“I just want to say: you know how I feel about you. I love you. I’m so proud of you. Good luck in your new endeavor. And I appreciate our friendship very much and I’m so proud of you,” O’Neal said.
Parker replied, thanking O’Neal for being a role model.
“I’m trying to be a businesswoman, like you, so thank you for raising the bar and continuing to be a great friend and partner for me,” Parker said.
Parker is hanging it up after 16 seasons in the WNBA. The former first-overall pick from Tennessee averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over her lengthy career.
She won MVP twice and finished top five in voting 10 times.
Shaq played three seasons with LSU from 1989-92. He was one of the nation’s most dominant players throughout his time in Baton Rouge, averaging 21.6 points per game.
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Parker is now stepping off the court and into the boardroom full time.
Candace Parker is a WNBA legend as her 16-year WNBA career shows. She is now stepping off the court and into the boardroom full time as she was recently announced as president of Adidas women’s basketball.
In this new role she will have the ability to change the women’s side of the game once again, but this time with executive authority over Adidas women’s basketball products lines. Parker has her own signature shoe line with Adidas and was the ninth player in WNBA history to have a signature shoe.
“Stepping into this new leadership role is a deeply personal next step in my journey with Adidas,” said Parker. “From high school to college to playing pro to now, this appointment by Adidas symbolizes a shared commitment to making impactful change and setting new benchmarks for the future of women’s sports. It’s not just about products; it’s about fostering a movement focused on innovation, representation and access.”
The Next Chapter.
After 16 years as a brand partner, we’re honored to announce Candace Parker as President of adidas Women’s Basketball.
“This new leadership role symbolizes a shared commitment to making impactful change and setting new benchmarks for the future of women’s… pic.twitter.com/zo3Q8HhCCo
Parker will be tasked with building upon the brand’s storied women’s roster, creating a powerful platform aimed at influencing and elevating the future of women’s sports and evolving the Adidas women’s basketball business and catalyzing a new era of growth and credibility for the brand.
In fact, despite the WNBA having record-breaking performances and an overwhelming increase in viewership, there have only been 12 players with their own signature shoes bearing their names. It was recently announced Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark will be receiving a signature shoe deal, which will raise the number to 13, but superstar A’ja Wilson has yet to receive one.
With Parker in a role like this, we will likely begin to see a positive evolution in the way apparel and shoe brands view and appreciate women’s basketball players. The time is now to change the game, and Parker is the perfect person to do it.
It is reported to be a multiyear endorsement deal and Wilson will take place in her first campaign later this spring.
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson added another coveted sponsor to her roster of endorsement deals. This time, it is the sports-hydration company Gatorade. The announcement comes a few weeks after Wilson was named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024 list.
It is reportedly a multiyear endorsement deal and will launch with her first campaign later this spring.
“We’re thrilled about the addition of A’ja Wilson to our elite athlete roster ahead of the 2024 WNBA season,” Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s head of sports marketing, said. “A’ja has already had an outstanding career full of many accomplishments, and we’re excited to be fueling her as she furthers her impact within the sport and beyond.”
2x WNBA MVP 2x WNBA Champion Finals MVP 2x DPOY 5x All-Star Gold Medalist Rookie of the Year NCAA Champion
Despite the accolades, awards and accomplishments in college and the WNBA, Wilson still does not have a signature shoe deal. It was recently announced that Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is getting a signature shoe. But the two-time WNBA MVP, two-time champion and Olympic gold medalist — among many other titles — isn’t in the same boat.
Before it was announced that Clark would have a signature shoe deal, on average, there had been .44 shoe deals per WNBA season. That simply isn’t enough based on the demand. However, the situation could be changing in the athletic shoe arena. It was announced that former WNBA superstar Candace Parker, who recently retired, had been named the president of Adidas women’s basketball.
He started off singing Hail to the Chief and then talked about how he appreciated their friendship and that he loves her and appreciates their friendship. And then she explained why she was leaving the game behind.
So of course her old Las Vegas Aces teammates were going to be sad about her departure. Kudos to them for showing a great sense of humor about it, too.
In a new video courtesy of Sydney Colson, the two-time defending champions have set up a joke shrine to Parker in her old locker. It’s set to emotional music and features various Aces players, such as A’ja Wilson and Alysha Clark, dropping off specific mementos about Parker, like a crutch and what appears to be wine.
It’s very well done and perfectly tongue-in-cheek:
Gooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate it.
This morning, I thought, “Do I want to be the petty Wizards fan that runs around all day screaming ‘I told you so!’ to all the fans who told me the Bradley Beal trade was a raw deal for my team?”
After much thought and careful consideration, I’ve decided the answer is an unequivocal yes. Yes, I do.
I told y’all, man. I did. While everyone was online calling me a hater, there I was looking at that roster and asking myself how on Earth Phoenix expected to stop anyone. People called me a madman. They said I was a hater, y’all. Here I sit at my desk this morning completely vindicated.
The Suns are the first team eliminated from the playoffs. The Timberwolves tossed Phoenix out of the playoffs like Uncle Phil used to toss Jazzy Jeff out of his crib back in the day. The series was a clean sweep, much to the chagrin of Beal himself, who told us he refused to be swept and then gave us one of the worst playoff performances of his career. Hilarious.
The most delicious part of all this? I don’t know what the Suns are supposed to do to improve. Honestly, there’s not much to be done. This team is a chaotic mess.
To summarize, the Suns have three massive salaries on the books with no draft equity and very few exceptions available to sign other players and improve. Any big move this team makes will have to come through trade. And, well, quite frankly, it doesn’t have much to trade.
Suns fans, I don’t know where things go from here. But I know this: The ride doesn’t seem like it’ll be a very fun one. Even sitting here as a lowly Wizards fan, I do not envy you.
Thanks for everything, Candace Parker
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
We’re truly losing one of the greats, folks. After spending one last year with the Aces, Candace Parker officially announced her retirement on Sunday.
The announcement itself hit like a punch to the gut. Parker wrote an eloquent goodbye note on Instagram. Did I make it beyond the first paragraph? Barely. Read this, man. Tell me you don’t get the feels.
“I’m retiring. I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it. The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time. My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.”
So many folks had so much love to give — Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Angel Reese, and so many more — rightfully so. She loved the game so much. It’s only right that she gets it back.
The game won’t be the same without her. But it’s so much better because it had her in it.
Thanks for everything, Candace. Basketball will miss you dearly.
The end for Ovechkin?
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Speaking of sweeps, the Rangers booted the Capitals out of the NHL playoffs on Sunday night, too. That wasn’t surprising. This New York team is good.
What was shocking, though, was that Alex Ovechkin was held pointless in the series. It’s the first time in his 19-year career that’s happened. He only had five shots on goal.
Alex Ovechkin finishes with no points in an NHL playoff series for the first time in his career. pic.twitter.com/c4HQ1JwmeP
Seeing players we grew up watching hit that final wall of their career is always rough. They’ve seemed superhuman for so long. That moment when they begin to look like everyone else is so painful.
That’s what’s happening with Ovie here. He says he’s still got a few more playoff series in him. Maybe he does.
But if they’re going to look like this? I hate to say it, but it’s time.
Quick hits: Winners and losers of the NFL Draft … The Nuggets’ title defense in doubt? … and more
