As one of the most decorated women’s basketball players of all-time and a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Candace Parker has already solidified herself as one of the most influential athletes of this generation. Both on and off the court, Parker has continued to build a legacy that she hopes will inspire others to break through glass-ceilings as she has. Off the court, she serves as the lone female sports analyst and commentator for Turner.
In 2008, Parker was selected as the No.1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, following a champion career at Tennessee where she led the Lady Vols to consecutive NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008. Parker went on to become the first player to earn WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season and was named Finals MVP after leading the Sparks to the 2016 WNBA title. After 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, Parker signed with the Chicago Sky and will make her return to her hometown in the upcoming season.
Throughout her career, Parker has built an outstanding honors list which includes three WNBA All-Star nods, the 2013 WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award, six All-WNBA selections, and the 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Parker also led Team USA to gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Off the court, Parker was recently featured in Disney+’s docuseries, BECOMING, produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. She has always had a love for creating content with plans to launch her own production company in the near feature.
Currently, Parker has endorsement deals with Adidas, NBA 2K and JBL Audio and has previously worked with brands such as Gatorade, Budweiser and more. She was the 1st WNBA player to sign with 2K last year and brought the WNBA onto the platform for the first time. She also became the first active player – male or female – to be an in-game analyst in the 2K broadcast booth. In 2019, Parker closed a multi-year deal to serve as an analyst and commentator for the NBA on TNT, NBA TV and NCAA Tournament coverage and is seen as a rising star on the broadcast world. Most recently, Parker and her 11-year-old daughter became co-owners of the Angel City FC National Women’s Soccer League expansion team that is expected to begin play in 2022.
As a mother and a Black woman, Parker has developed into a bold, insightful and inspiring thought leader who is passionate about the importance of women’s rights, voters’ rights and Black Lives Matter. In September of 2020, Parker was the first women to join the Social Change Fund, the mission of which is to invest in and support organizations that are working to liberate Black people and advocate for indigenous people and communities of color through the lens of policy solutions, community representation and narrative change. With her heart, passion and competitiveness, Parker is already a role model for so many with much more to come
