Tag: Candace Parker

Candace Parker perfectly guessed Steph Curry’s 50-point game against the Hawks and NBA fans were in awe

Candace Parker is the absolute best analyst we have

Candace Parker is just phenomenal all around. There’s not really any other way to describe her.

She just won her second championship with the Chicago Sky last month. And when she’s not dominating the WNBA, she’s busy being the best basketball analyst in the world — period.

We’ve seen it over and over again through her time on NBA on TNT. She’s had moments where she’s absolutely schooled the crew on the game, including this one with Shaq.

She showed us just how good she is, once again, with a perfect prediction of how Steph Curry’s game against the Hawks would turn out.

Parker said Curry was going to score 50-points against the Hawks. Why? Because “anytime you play against a young protégé you gotta let em know.”

Say word. And what did Steph do? Dropped 50. With 10 assists and 7 rebounds.

Parker absolutely called this. Fans had to give her her props.

Candace Parker’s emotional moment with her daughter after winning WNBA title was so awesome

What a moment for Candace Parker and her daughter.

Candace Parker closed out her first season with her hometown team in style on Sunday as she helped lead the Chicago Sky to their first WNBA title in franchise history with a 80-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.

Allie Quigley scored 26 points to lead Chicago while Parker had 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for Sky, who won the series 3-1.

Parker was emotional down the stretch and could be seen tearing up in the final 10 seconds as the home crowd went nuts and started celebrating. This video right here is pretty darn cool and shows just how much this meant to Parker:

But this moment after the game was even better, as Parker found her daughter, Lailaa, and the two celebrated the win:

Twitter loved it:

Candace Parker gave an emotional shoutout to Pat Summit after leading the Chicago Sky to the WNBA Finals

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

For the first time since 2014 the Chicago Sky are heading back to the WNBA Finals.

They beat the Connecticut Sun — WNBA’s #1 overall seed — in four games to advance through the semis. Parker, obviously, was a huge part of that run.

Eight months ago we found out Candace Parker was leaving the Los Angeles Sparks — the only team she’d ever played for in the WNBA — for her hometown Chicago Sky.

Eight months later, here she is going to the Finals with her new team.

She was asked about that journey after the game and talked about the ups and the downs the team had been through with injuries all season long.

But she didn’t really get emotional until she started talking about her former coach, Pat Summitt.

The former Tennessee Volunteers coach passed away in 2016. Parker said everything she does on the court is in her honor and visibly got choked up during the postgame interview.

“This team is special. We’ve battled through adversity; we believed in each other. I want to always bring honor to Pat [Summitt]. In these moments, I always remember her.” 

What a moment. Summitt would certainly be proud of Parker in this moment doing what she’s doing for her hometown.

She’s still got another step to take, though. The Finals are waiting. We’ll see how things turn out.

Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery 

Two former Lady Vols named to WNBA W25 team

Two former Lady Vols named to WNBA W25 team.

The WNBA is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and as part of its milestone season the league has released its W25 team.

The squad is comprised of the league’s top 25 players throughout WNBA history.

Two former University of Tennessee players were named to the team. The former Lady Vols on the team are Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker.

Catchings was recently inducted to the Naismith Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville. She works in the front office for the Indiana Fever after a 15-year career in the WNBA.

Catchings earned all-league honors 12 times, was a five-time Defensive Player of the Year and a 10-time all-star. She was the league’s most valuable player in 2011. Catchings won a WNBA championship and a WNBA Finals MVP.

Parker is still active in the WNBA. She plays for the Chicago Sky and was named to the 2021 all-star team.

Parker was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2016 and is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. She was named both MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2008.

[vertical-gallery id=31959]

Candace Parker named WNBA All-Star

Former Lady Vol Candace Parker named WNBA All-Star.

Former Lady Vol Candace Parker was named to her sixth WNBA All-Star game.

The game will be played July 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The WNBA All-Stars will play the USA basketball’s women’s team. ESPN will televise the matchup.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. EDT.

Parker, a post player for the Chicago Sky, is in the midst of her 13th WNBA season. She has won a championship and the league’s Most Valuable Player twice.

Parker is the only player in the WNBA to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, accomplishing the feat in 2008.

She previously played for the Los Angeles Sparks from 2008-20.

Parker also played professionally overseas between 2010-18.

[vertical-gallery id=31959]

Candace Parker hilariously called out Shaq after he found out she won Defensive Player of the Year

“Take the surprise out your voice, Shaq.”

Candace Parker has become one of the best basketball analysts out there. Her work on Inside the NBA makes that clear.

Don’t get it twisted, though — she’s still one of the best players in the sport, her work behind the desk aside. She’s a WNBA superstar and a certified bucket. She’s also the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Apparently, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t know that about his co-host. Adam Lefkoe called her the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and Shaq sounded surprised by it.

He asked, “You were defensive player of the year?” to which Parker responded, “Take that surprise out your voice, Shaq.”

It was incredible.

She had to check him again. Dwyane Wade got a good laugh out of it.

https://twitter.com/DwyaneWade/status/1374588321775558660?s=20

What a moment. Shaq should get to know his teammate a bit better.

[mm-video type=video id=01f1gfe0b9an6y2nqr playlist_id=01f09p3bf720d8rg02 player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f1gfe0b9an6y2nqr/01f1gfe0b9an6y2nqr-30237ab8da71f0e81ac755de0e4439d2.jpg]

Candace Parker shut down Shaq’s suggestion of lowering the WNBA rims for dunks

“My next child will be drop-step dunking.”

Chicago Sky star Candace Parker has become accustomed to schooling Shaquille O’Neal during TNT’s NBA Postgame Show, and Tuesday was no different.

Like the NBA — and all competitive basketball beyond junior high school — the WNBA plays on a regulation, 10-foot basket. Yet, Shaq zeroed in on the rim height during Tuesday night’s broadcast and proposed a not-so-original idea of lowering WNBA rims so the players could dunk more and throw down two-handers.

Shaq proposed the idea as a way to “make it equal,” and Parker, who had probably heard that suggestion several times before, waited little time to shut it down.

Parker said:

“No … Lailaa, she’s into dance, but my next child will be drop-step dunking. I promise you.”

Though Shaq went into the suggestion like it was something that hadn’t been tossed around already, Elena Delle Donne actually faced backlash from the WNBA community when she spoke favorably of the idea in 2016.

But really, Shaq doesn’t need to look for ways to change or cheapen the WNBA. Supporting the game as it is would go a long way.

[mm-video type=video id=01f0kk96vgadexh8mc playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f0kk96vgadexh8mc/01f0kk96vgadexh8mc-d09cd66430444942e9d6d6c25da90c76.jpg]

Watch Candace Parker absolutely schooled Shaq on ‘Inside the NBA’

This isn’t good.

Shaq has not had the greatest run on Inside the NBA so far this season. It’s been pretty tumultuous, to say the least.

He’s started beef with Donovan Mitchell, got called out as a “casual” by Christian Wood, didn’t know Pascal Siakam’s first name and couldn’t name legitimate NBA players as part of one of the show’s games.

Now, he’s being schooled on defensive coverages by his co-host Candace Parker.

Parker brought up a point about how defenses around the NBA are switching more than ever and how the Nuggets take advantage of that. And Shaq asked “why” the defenses were switching so much.

Parker explains “because everybody can shoot 3’s.” And then Shaq asks “what happened to everybody man up?” referring to the way defense used to be played in the NBA.

From there, it sort of just devolved into Parker explaining the modern game to Shaq and him giving his “back in my day” takes in response.

She had to break down the math to reason with him about why “pre-rotating” the defense just doesn’t work as well anymore.

You can see just how frustrated Parker was getting as explaining this. Her faces say it all.

This was rough to watch. But it’s not surprising at all. This has been a trend all season long. Shaq just doesn’t seem very interested in the modern NBA and delivers his analysis accordingly.

Stuff like this does a disservice to the NBA’s fans and the players in today’s game. Shaq needs to be better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96ldawYr5s

Candace Parker appears at DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation charity event

Former Lady Vols’ basketball star Candace Parker appears at a charity event for DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Former University of Tennessee women’s basketball star Candace Parker assisted the DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation.

The foundation provides female athletes from the ABC Pilsen basketball association. She assisted the sporting goods store at an event on Dec. 7.

The organization serves inner-city athletes from Parker’s hometown of Chicago with equipment.

Jan 2, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; University of Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart (left) and Lady Vol former player Candace Parker (left center) and daughter Lailaa Williams (bottom) and head coach emeritus Pat Summitt (right center) and head coach Holly Warlick (right) during the retirement ceremony of Parker’s jersey before the game against the LSU Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Parker, a former star for the Lady Vols and current WNBA player and studio analyst for TNT, appeared at the event virtually as the youth players received gifts from the Sports Matter Giving Truck.

The event was made possible by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Parker was pleased to assist with the event.

“I love what DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation is doing,” Parker said. “It means so much to be able to connect with kids that are excited about getting out and continuing to play sports.

“It’s been tough in 2020, but the holidays are about spreading cheer and giving.”

Parker plays for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Photo provided by The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation.