Candace Parker: Powering Forward

Sparkling with Christmas lights, and packed with sports fanatics, families and friends, the high school gymnasium in Naperville, Illinois was electric. The 2001 Dundee Crown Christmas Tournament was in full swing, and all eyes were on the basketball court. Sophomore Candace Parker battled through the traffic, got a breakaway, drove down the floor, and with every ounce of her 6’2″, 15-year-old body, reached high, cleared the 10-foot rim and slam dunked the ball. The crowd roared as history was made. Candace Parker became the first female basketball player to dunk in an official United States high school varsity game.

“Women know we can do it. We’ve been shouting from the rooftops that we’re able. I’m tired of firsts … Who’s the best person for the job?”

The next morning Candace was awakened by the local and national news organizations camped out in her family’s front yard. Rolling out of bed, Candace, with her parents by her side, greeted the enthralled media. Everyone wanted to know about this burgeoning basketball phenom.  

To their surprise, she was not motivated by being the first high school girl in history to dunk. 

“It was more because my brothers dunked at 16. I wanted to dunk before they did.” 

Nor did she want to be the player known only for dunking. What mattered to Candace was everything about basketball.  

“My talent always lied in my ability to be versatile. I could bring the ball up the court, pass, shoot, rebound and run the floor like a guard. The dunking, I was resistant because when I dunked everybody just wanted me to dunk. I never wanted to just stay in that lane.” 

Candace had the maturity to recognize that being caught up in the moment could derail her career. At the same time, she had the foresight to understand the depth and breadth of her limitless potential. It’s what propelled her into becoming one of the most celebrated and influential athletes of this generation. 

With two Olympic gold medals, two NCAA championships as MVP and three WNBA titles, no feat has been unattainable for Candace. In 2008 Candace was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft and joined the Los Angeles Sparks. She succeeded in her first year, again making history, as the first and only player to earn WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year. She did this while pregnant. In 2016, she led the L.A. Sparks to their WNBA championship title, again in 2021 with her hometown’s team the Chicago Sky, and one more time in 2023 with the Las Vegas Aces. 

Off the court, Candace, aka Ace (from the last three letters of her name), has similarly dreamed big. She’s established herself as a media entrepreneur, as the first-ever on-air female analyst for both the NBA and NCAA on Turner Sports, as well as the spokesperson and ambassador for companies such as Adidas (President of Adidas Women’s Basketball), NBA2K, CarMax, Gatorade, Muscle Milk, Invesco QQQ and Dick’s Sporting Goods. With her authentic voice, Candace is an activist fighting for equality in sports and business. She is the subject of a full-length ESPN documentary entitled “Unapologetic,” and the founder of a production company, Baby Hair Productions. As a globally recognized public speaker, her TED Talk was ranked the sixth most popular in 2021. She is also an investor in several women’s professional sports teams.  

Earlier this year, with all of her momentum, Candace decided to pivot, not on the court, but in life. In an Instagram post to her 1.1 million followers, she said, “It’s time … I’M A BUSINESS man, not a businessman. This is the beginning … I’m attacking business, private equity, ownership, broadcasting, production, boardrooms … with the same intensity and focus I did basketball. My mission in life, like Pat Summitt [her legendary coach] always said, is to ‘chase people and passions and you will never fail.’ Being a wife and mom still remains priority #1.” 

As this is the year of the woman in leadership, I was given the rare opportunity to sit down with Candace, the GOAT, as she is often called by Shaquille O’Neal and other NBA superstars, to talk about her sports journey’s lessons, the importance of family, and her future aspirations in pushing the boundaries for women.   

Ever since Candace can remember, basketball has been an essential part of her life. 

“My basketball was in my crib.” 

Born April 19, 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri, Candace Nicole measured 2 feet long. Her proud parents, Sara and Larry Parker, happily brought her home to meet her brothers, 11-year-old Anthony and 8-year-old Marcus.  Soon after, the family of five moved to Naperville, Illinois where Candace was raised. Today, after a successful 10-year career playing in the NBA, Anthony is the general manager of the Orlando Magic.  Marcus also resides in Florida and practices medicine as a radiologist. Candace proudly suggests her “super intelligent, super intuitive” brothers helped shape who she is, thanks in part to the family’s stimulating dinner conversations. Her admiration for her brothers and their impact on her life remains steadfast.   

“My mom always tells the story that I walked at 8 months and was running at 9. I was always in the mix with my older brothers and whatever they did, I was trying to be there.”

Larry met Sara at the University of Iowa. He played basketball for the Hawkeyes; Sara was a cheerleader. Larry was Candace’s first basketball coach; Sara organized the team’s practices and tournaments. Yet, they raised their children without gender roles. 

“We didn’t have the, ‘You’re a boy, you cut the grass.’ I cut the grass. My brother cooked. I took out the garbage. We vacuumed. There weren’t certain gender roles.  My parents said, ‘If you can do it and you work for it, why can’t you accomplish it?’” 

That philosophy was embedded in Candace’s psyche, until her first crash course in winning. It was junior year of high school, her team went 34-0, and they won the state championship.   

“I remember thinking the game is becoming easy. I was kind of doing what I wanted on the court … taking the game for granted a little bit. And I tore my ACL.” 

It was her wake-up call. 

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder … I became fueled by the ‘can’t.’ ‘Oh, you don’t think I can come back from this and be the player that I was?’ I’m going to come back and be better.”

She learned to commit to the process with laser focus, a foundational strategy for her life.   

“It was the commitment to not be physically out there doing jump shots, but bettering my jump shot by doing leg lifts and making sure that I’m rehabbing … and getting up early and studying and not letting school slip away.” 

With a multitude of knee, shoulder and foot surgeries, Candace equates the emotional rollercoaster injury ride to life itself.  She believes you need to have balance.  

“I was miserable when we lost. I would wake up, and I wouldn’t want to open the shades because we lost. I wouldn’t want to get out of bed because we lost. I’ve had to learn that you do what you can. You live in your purpose, and then you relinquish the results in whatever you’re doing. So even in my marriage, I’m divorced and remarried again. Even in being a mother, there’s so many times where you’re up late at night hoping that you’re doing the right thing, and you do what you feel is best and relinquish the results.”

“I wanted to be a mom so badly. I always envisioned it when I was a kid. I damn near played house until I was 13 years old.”

Despite the projected year sabbatical caused by the injury, Candace returned to the court her senior year of high school after five months of rehabilitation and went on to win back-to-back championships. She became the first female to win the McDonald’s slam dunk contest at the All-American Game, beating out two future NBA players, and was named the Gatorade Girl’s High School Player of the Year in 2003-2004, which earned her a trip to Los Angeles, her very first. 

At 17 years old, she was fixated on seeing Beverly Hills. “That’s all you heard about … 90210.”  Today, the city is a regular stop for her. You might pass Candace, listening to Adele or Jay-Z, as she cruises Mulholland Drive on the way to Beverly Hills for a business meeting or a fun dining experience at Wally’s, Honor Bar or Crustacean.

Back then, Candace was one of the most sought-after basketball recruits in the nation. She committed to the University of Tennessee, playing for the Lady Vols (Volunteers) under Pat Summitt, one of the greatest women’s basketball coaches of all time. 

Brimming with anticipation, her freshman year at Tennessee quickly turned to disappointment.  Her doctors discovered a hole in her injured knee, which meant another operation. While sitting out the entire year, her sadness swelled with the news of her parents’ divorce. It was Coach Summitt’s leadership style and assurance of Candace’s return that helped her through. She came back the following 2005-2006 season with a vengeance, delivering the first dunk in a NCAA tournament game, which she performed twice. The following year, in addition to dating a rising basketball star at Duke University, Sheldon Williams, Candace led the Lady Vols to win the NCAA championship, ending the current drought that had plagued Tennessee. As the now 6’4” college basketball sensation, Candace graced the cover of Sports Illustrated after clinching the 2007 championship. By her senior year, Candace had solidified a second NCAA championship, the hopes of a professional career and the possibility of a U.S. Olympic Team position. 

In 2008, Candace struck gold. As the WNBA’s biggest ticket, McDonald’s, Adidas and Gatorade all vied for her ambassadorship. Poised to make history in Los Angeles with the Sparks, she married Sheldon and received the honored invitation to represent the United States in the Beijing Olympic Games. It was not surprising that, with all of her momentum, she won her first gold medal. 

While standing on the gold-medal platform, watching the raising of the American flag and listening to the United States national anthem, Candace was exploding with joy in her heart, thanks to the new life growing inside her. 

Nine months later, “Out popped joy!” says Candace about her newborn daughter, Lailaa. 

“I wanted a daughter, and I wanted to be a mom so badly. I always envisioned it when I was a kid. I damn near played house until I was 13 years old. I was the youngest sister who always wanted a younger sister. I begged my parents, and they said, ‘No, you are the younger sister.’ In college, I was babysitting on Friday nights instead of going to parties. And then when I hit reality, it was like, ‘Well, you can’t do that and have a career.’  But I watched one of the greatest leaders do it.” 

Pat Summitt had a family during her career. 

“She [Pat] wasn’t playing; she was coaching, which I think is a little bit more intensive, honestly. And so, when I was about to have my daughter, I was like, I can do this. I know I can do this, and I’m not going to sacrifice one for the other.”

Within 51 days of giving birth, Candace was back on the court playing at full strength. During halftime, in the locker room that first year on the Sparks, Candace would breastfeed Lailaa while Coach Michael Cooper would give the team direction.  Candace made history again at the end of the season when she became the first woman awarded Rookie of the Year and MVP, even though the Sparks did not make it to the finals.  

Through it all, Lailaa breastfed for almost 15 months. 

“She wouldn’t take a bottle. She never had formula. And that’s not to say that’s the best for everybody else. But I put my mind to not sacrificing motherhood for my career, and not sacrificing my career for motherhood.”

Despite the WNBA’s establishment 12 years earlier, the disparity between Candace and her male counterparts in the NBA was blatantly obvious. NBA salaries for their superstars were in the multiple millions. Candace had to play in Russia, in the offseason, to make ends meet. 

“It was a great experience, don’t get me wrong. We had charter flights, we had chefs, we had drivers. I stayed in a fabulous apartment. My daughter went everywhere with me. I made a great contract where I could take care of my family … take care of my mom. I could do the things that I wanted to do … But I wish I could have done that here.”

When asked about her former Sparks teammate, Brittney Griner, whose arrest and detention in Russia made international headlines, Candace reveals it hit home on two levels.

“It’s like the part of the place that you thought was a certain way, and you were treated in that way, and then you see the different side of it. It’s scary. It really is.”

On a deeper level, Candace shares it’s personal. 

“My wife is Russian.”

With compassion, Candace explains, “It’s the war, and that means that you don’t know when things are going to get back to normal, or be OK, or be safe. I’ve always been super supportive of her and her feelings because I don’t care what type of home you come from, you defend your home, that’s where you’re from. That’s where her heart is.” 

Anna (her government name) or Anya Petrakova was born in Budapest, Hungary and raised in Russia.  Like Candace, she was introduced to basketball by her father, Viktor Petrakov, who played pro basketball in Russia and was a member of the Soviet Union’s National Basketball Team. After a successful college career in America at the University of Louisiana, Anna went pro in Russia, playing for several teams.  And like Candace, she received the invitation to represent her country at the London Olympics as a member of Russia’s Women’s National Basketball Team in 2012. Honored with the 2015 Player of the Year Award in the Russian Premier League, she is considered one of the most successful players in Russia.  

In 2012, Candace was introduced to Anna, the UMMC Ekaterinburg team’s new power forward. A teammate friendship began. Both women were in committed relationships.  By now, Lailaa was 3 years old, almost bilingual, in English and Russian, and more than ever, the center of Candace’s universe.

“This kid was on 12- to 14-hour flights from two years old. She would get on and say, ‘Is this a lay down flight?’ She knew that was overseas. If it’s just juice, it’s probably two hours. She’s just been here on earth before, I mean, I have it tattooed right here.”

Candace points to the tattoo on her forearm and reads it.

“My reason, Lailaa Nicole.”

Mother and daughter share the same middle name. 

“I’m so grateful that I had a kid that allowed me to do both [career and motherhood] and has been a part of this journey. And Lailaa is super special. I still believe she was sent here for me.”

Eventually, the wear and tear of a long-distance marriage for Candace and Sheldon became evident. While she was overseas for half of the year with her daughter and her mother, Sheldon was jumping between NBA teams. The stress of two professional careers spanning the globe was too much. Their marriage failed in 2016, one of the many challenges Candace faced while in the public eye and performing at top level on the court.  

As the sad reality of her impending divorce loomed, other negative news landed. Candace was passed over for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, despite still leading in the WNBA. Worse yet, Pat Summitt, Candace’s lifelong coach, mentor and friend was losing her battle to early-onset dementia in the form of Alzheimer’s.  

But Candace rebounded, a true sign of a champion.  By powering forward, she led the L.A. Sparks to their first championship in eight years. When asked her secret for working through the ups and downs of life, both on and off the court, she recounted one of Coach Summitt’s life lessons.  

“Pat was who she was, when she was winning eight championships and when she lost 194 times, or however many losses she had. I think it’s just being that same steady person and never getting too high or too low. That’s what I respect. It’s committing to the process.” 

Live from the basketball court, seconds after Candace’s championship win in 2016, with her highest rebounds of the season, ESPN announcer Holly Rowe asked Candace, “What does this moment mean to you?” Fighting back her tears, Candace responded, “This is for Pat.”

Over time, and as a surprise to both Candace and Anna, their friendship evolved into love.  In 2019, while on a birthday trip to Mexico with Anna, Lailaa, family and friends, Candace presented a birthday cake to Anna with the words, “Will you marry us?” Two years later, they publicly revealed they had been married, along with the news that they were expecting their first child together.

Going public about her marriage to Anna was challenging for Candace. 

“People come to be who they are on their own time. And sometimes it takes people longer. It took us a long time because the life that we had envisioned for me, for her, wasn’t what the reality was. We were a happy family within these walls. And when we walked out, we were something that we weren’t. We were acting like we weren’t together when we were. I introduced her as Anna. But who is this person? Is she a friend?… And so, I just encourage people to work to be true to who they are in whatever setting they’re at. I think when you start trying to play too many roles, and be too many things to too many different people, you lose yourself.”

Especially as a parent, Candace felt she had to lead with truth and conviction.

“I can’t tell my daughter to be proud of being tall and do what you want, and follow your heart when I am not doing it myself. I want my daughter to know me as somebody that even if it’s a whisper, or even if it’s taking a big gulp before I say it, I’m going to be the one who says it. Even if it’s not popular, even if it’s looked down upon.”

Today Lailaa is big sister to brothers Airr Larry, 2 ½ years old, and 6-month-old Hartt Summitt, named after Candace’s father and Pat Summitt. 

“People ask me what age I like. I like whatever age they’re at. I feel like every year they just get better.” 

Suddenly, she calls to Airr in a higher-pitched, happy voice, having spotted him in the hallway of their home, shooting a shot into his Little Tikes basketball hoop.

“Hi Goose [Airr’s nickname]!  Did you have a good day at school? You’re going to take a nap?”

Candace shares, “He gets up and gets buckets before breakfast a lot of times, from his crib. I’ll give him the ball. When he shoots into the hoop, he always says, ‘Kobe!’ It’s really cute.” “Kobe” originated from reading Kobe Bryant’s book together. They also enjoy reading about “the GOAT,” Michael Jordan, Candace’s hometown hero.   

Airr responds sweetly with one word, “Basketball.” Candace repeats encouragingly, “Basketball, you’re right,” as the nanny brings Airr to Candace. 

“Give me kiss, give me kiss.” Airr leans in to kiss his mom. “I love you,” says Candace.

As the nanny carries him away, Candace admits, “I might say that I have, from a very young age, shown him basketball and how to shoot. We have basketball hoops all around our house, and every time we walk past them, he has to do his little shot.”

Does Candace plan on being a “boy mom” coach, mirroring Kobe’s “girl dad” status? 

“A hundred percent, yes!” 

With her blended and growing family, Candace is not guided by a particular religious denomination, but rather by her strong belief in one’s intention and purpose. 

“I wholeheartedly believe that we know when something is wrong or something is right … [It’s important] to hold yourself accountable and be disciplined, to do what you say you’re going to do.” 

She adds, “Kids will humble you … [They] don’t care who you are, how many MVP awards you get. You’re Mom.”

Often asked, Candace will not commit to her all-time favorite winning moment as she compares the question to choosing her favorite child. But when I requested her to name “three” favorite winning moments in honor of her three children, she happily responded.  

“Winning the first WNBA championship.”

“My Olympic gold medal in London because I got to share it with my daughter.”

“My high school first championship. Committing to the process and being rewarded for it.”

Driven by passion and purpose off the court, Candace has worked to break down barriers. Believing that sports can change lives, she has made inroads as an advocate for equality for women on a professional level as well as for youth.  

“I think sports is bigger than just sports. Sports is life. You’re teaching life lessons to young kids.”

As an ambassador for national brands, her speaking engagements and influential power continue to produce successful partnerships that provide for youth organizations.  As an example of her efforts, Gatorade and the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matters Program partnered with Candace and donated $100,000 to continue advancing youth sports equality. 

As a role model, her ability to communicate her expertise and insightful perspectives has pushed the boundaries for women in broadcasting. In 2018, Candace broke into the male-dominated world as the only female analyst for the Men’s March Madness Tournament. Acing her analysis in that first year, she was offered a multipronged broadcasting role for Turner Sports, which included regular analysis and commentary for the NBA on TNT and NBA TV, along with the NCAA tournaments.  She continues in this role today with Turner Sports for the 2024-2025 NBA season. 

To illustrate her impact on the world of men’s and women’s basketball, when David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA and founder of the WNBA, suddenly passed away on Jan. 1, 2020, the NBA network went to Candace for her comments. As a female basketball legend and a savvy broadcaster, she reflected on his contribution and “his foresight to see that women’s basketball could grow.” She continued, “The WNBA is the longest-standing women’s professional sports league in the history of the United States. We are so grateful for what he’s done, as we continue to try to follow the blueprint of what the NBA has done to grow the game.”

As a producer, for her first Baby Hair Productions project in 2022, Candace chose to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark federal civil rights law that changed sports in America. But now, Title IX is in question in certain states as gender identity and transgender issues have surfaced. Candace infuses her “I can” motto into making sure Title IX is inclusive for everyone. 

“If you say you can’t, then you have to find a way that you can. Great understanding without completely agreeing is something that I wish our country got to a place of. And I think sports has always been a great unifier and has always united us in tragedy. There has to be a way for everyone to be able to compete.” 

She cites the New York Yankees playing in the wake of 9/11 and Kobe’s tragic death. Yet she’s frustrated by the blame game interfering with Title IX’s blanket acceptance today.  

“In America, it’s always women’s problems, and it’s not just a women’s problem. Why do women have to make the policies and figure out all of this stuff? And then we get blamed for it if it doesn’t work. I love the responsibility, but can we do this with everyone? Title IX was meant for equality in the very essence of the law. Somehow it gets lost in wrestling. Somehow it gets lost in male gymnastics. It’s always on the women’s sports. There are others that are benefiting from inequalities of Title IX, and we all have the responsibility to figure it out.”

Candace’s fight for equality in the corporate structure is just as important to her. As an outgrowth of her ambassadorship, combined with her leadership style, Candace has accepted the new role as President of Adidas Women’s Basketball. Her brand loyalty began when she was 15 years old, and Adidas supplied her team with products. 

“We grew together. We’ve been through injuries, pregnancy, I mean, we talk about CEOs changing. I’ve been through leadership change … There’s an allegiance that you grow up with in a brand, and I think it’s established at a young age. And so, I think for me as president, I want to impact youth and grassroots, and then we’ll find our signature athlete … who believes in the brand like I do.”

Today, Candace is an investor in the female professional sports teams Angel City Football Club and League One Volleyball LOVB, as well as an Athletic Ambassador for the Avenue Capital Group, Marc Lasry’s sports fund. Melding corporate management with sports franchise management and ownership is a huge goal of Candace’s. She aspires to own an NBA or WNBA team one day.

“Why not?” Candace fires back.

“Women know we can do it. It’s never been a question. We’ve been shouting from the rooftops that we’re able. I’m tired of firsts. The first female president of hockey, the first female president of NHL, NBA, NFL teams. Come on, man, this is 2024. We’ve got to get over this. Who’s the best person for the job? I think men are figuring it out, and I don’t think it’s telling women that we can do it. I think it is men realizing that diversity of thought is better.”

During a controversial broadcast on Turner Sports when Shaquille O’Neal strongly suggested that the WNBA lower the rim for better dunking statistics, Candace shut him down by not giving the question attention.  

“Sometimes people are fortunate to continue to not know what they don’t know. You sometimes don’t know the perspective. You don’t know the story. You don’t know what’s behind it. You don’t know the years and years and years of fight. And some people are fortunate to not ever have to experience that. I don’t think he was saying it to be disrespectful.”

After 13 years in Los Angeles leading the Sparks, Candace decided to go back to her hometown and play for the Chicago Sky. In her first year with the team, her leadership and expertise helped the team win its first-ever championship in 2021. 

But living far from her family in Los Angeles was hard for Candace. The following year, she accepted the offer to join the Las Vegas Aces, miles closer to home. Armed with her drive and positive energy, after one season, Candace led the Aces to their first title in 2023. Once again, Candace made history and remains the only player to win the WNBA championship with three different franchises.  

Unfortunately for Candace, the second half of her final championship season was spent on the bench due to another injury. She announced her retirement on social media earlier this year in April after 16 years of playing professional basketball. 

“I promised I’d never cheat the game and that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it. The competitor in me always wants one more, but it’s time. My heart and my body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it. … My last game, I walked off the court with my daughter. I ended the journey just as I started it, with her.”

At the end of our interview, while reflecting upon David Stern and his need to form the WNBA, Candace reveals her desire to move forward with a bigger purpose. 

“A lot of people celebrate when things come to fruition and everything happens. But you also have to think about the steps that it took and the no’s and the nays and the disbelief. He [Stern] was someone who truly bought in and stuck with it, and stuck through it when things weren’t right. Sometimes it’s going against the grain, and sometimes it means not being liked. And sometimes it means people not believing in what you say, but still continuing to go forward with it because there’s a bigger purpose. That’s what I want to do within women’s sports. I think slowly but surely, we’re a different game. And it doesn’t mean that we have to have the same path as men’s basketball. We have a blueprint, but we can change the plans a little bit.”

Thoughtful, authentic and inspirational, Candace commits to the process.    

“That’s what I’m going to do with women’s basketball. I’m going to continue to be a visionary of what’s next and what lies ahead. How can we make a bigger jump? How can we make a bigger push?”