Candace Parker
Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parkeris an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She is the younger sister of former NBA player Anthony Parker. She attended the University of Tennessee and was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. She may be best known for being the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game—she set both milestones as a redshirt...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth19 April 1986
CitySt. Louis, MO
CountryUnited States of America
I don't think I would take the game with the same mentality that I do now if I hadn't been injured.
My dad was my first coach and drove me extremely hard from a very young age.
So you have to take the good with the bad.
For me, family has always come first.
You're measured by championships no matter what.
Today I know that there is still work to be done, but along the way I am achieving my dreams.
It was just 1-on-1 with me and her, and I knew I had the height advantage over her, so I just took it and shot over her. Fortunately it went in.
It's a relief to finally do it and get it over with.
I've grown a lot as a player and as a person. I just play and don't think about that.
Last year, I was sidelined with my knee injury. To finally get here and play was amazing.
It seemed like every time we came at them they answered. Every time we were almost over the hump, they seemed to come back with a run or a steal or a three.
I'm not going to force anything. If it's a close game, a two- or three-point game, I'll make the decision that's best for the team.
We were never worried about the game or anything like that. We stayed calm.
You never want to go out with a loss. We just have to use this as motivation.