The most versatile player in WNBA history — two-time MVP, two-time WNBA champion and the only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, combining power, skill and basketball IQ at the highest level.
Candace Parker was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1986. Los Angeles Sparks selected her first overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft from Tennessee. She won the Rookie of the Year and WNBA MVP in the same season — the only player in league history to achieve this. She won a second MVP in 2013. She won two WNBA championships — with the Sparks in 2016 and the Chicago Sky in 2021. She won two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012). She was an eight-time All-Star and was named to the WNBA's 20th and 25th Anniversary teams. Her combination of power, skill, passing ability and basketball intelligence at forward made her the most versatile player in WNBA history. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Two-time WNBA MVP and first player to win MVP as rookie
How They Played
Versatile forward with excellent court vision and rebounding
Lasting Impact
One of greatest forwards in WNBA history, Olympic champion
WNBA Champion 2016, 2021
Career Honours
- WNBA Champion 2016, 2021
- WNBA MVP 2008, 2013
- Olympic Gold 2008, 2012