In a year when the coverage of women’s basketball has been at a peak, the attention given an announcement Sunday was another indicator of the ongoing awareness and interest in the sport that’s considerably grown over the past year.
Candace Parker, not only a collegiate star but perennial all-pro and multiple WNBA champion, formally retired. Interestingly, the announcement got major coverage on not just sports shows but on both broadcast and public television newscasts.
Parker certainly didn’t get that kind of coverage in 2008, when she was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft.
Unlike this year, when Caitlin Clark’s selection by Indiana was watched by millions, despite a great college career that saw Parker lead the University of Tennessee to consecutive national titles while winning back to back Final Four most outstanding player awards, Candace Parker wasn’t then quite a big name on the sporting map.
However as the years evolved and she began leading teams to titles, things changed.
She did ink long term deals with Adidas and Gatorade right after the draft.
Parker would become the first player to win both Rookie of The Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season.
Ultimately Parker was a six-time All-WNBA player, a two-time WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist, and a three time WNBA champion in a glorious 16-year carer with the LA Sparks (13), Chicago Sky (2) and her final year with the Las Vegas Aces.
She’s also been an analyst for TNT Sports since 2018, offering analysis on both NCAA men’s Tournament and NBA regular season and playoff games.
Candace Parker’s achievements are noteworthy and impressive. It’s a sign of progress that her farewell announcement was treated as the major sports news item it was, rather than a throwaway bit of fodder.