Candace Parker Has “Magic-al” WNBA Debut
She likes to post-up her defender… when not effortlessly draining 3-pointers. She likes to rebound the ball in traffic… right before she puts it on the floor to start the fast break. She likes to cross-over in either direction… before scoring with either hand. WNBA – Meet Candace Parker. After watching the Los Angeles Sparks’ Parker assert her “5-dimensional” skill in her WNBA debut, only one person came to mind: Magic Johnson.
And it could have also been: the no-look passes, the near triple-double, or the taking the game over in the 4th quarter. In any event, Parker amassed 34 points, 12 boards, and 8 assists in an exciting 99-94 win over the defending champion Phoenix Mercury on a court filled with some of the WNBA’s finest stars. LA center Lisa Leslie — the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer — came back from a year off (pregnancy) to notch 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Scoring machine Diana Taurasi shook off a poor first half to notch 24 points for the game. And lighting quick all-star Cappie Pondexter kept the Mercury in the game with 32 points before missing a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left.
Yet despite the other stars on the court there was something different that stood out about Parker’s game: it seemed… effortless. It was just smooooooth. It is what they like to call “feel for the game”. She’s got it. Like Magic, she could play all five positions while probably being the best at all five. An exchange near the end of the second quarter might tell us why. After Cappie Pondexter blew by three LA defenders for a hard-driving lay-up, LA coach Michael Cooper gave out a tongue-lashing:
“Somebody ask me how come we can’t stop the ball? How come we can’t stop the ball!” On the bench, Parker says: “My man”. Cooper responds: “No, it’s not your man CP. It’s everybody!”
What stood out (besides the use of the term “man” to describe women) was Parker’s immediate willingness to accept full responsibility for the defensive lapse… and also why as a rookie — like Magic — is already ready to lead.
There are other “magical” similarities besides the leadership and versatility. Parker was the first pick in the draft after leading her college team to the title. She wears the Los Angeles uniform. She is teaming up with center Lisa Leslie the way a young Magic once did with an older Kareem. She is coming into a league that has suffered from low ratings and stigmas. Magic, along with Larry Bird, used their college rivalry as a springboard to dramatically change the popularity of the NBA upon their arrival. But before they did, television executives feared that the game was ”too black” to prosper and often carried NBA Finals games on tape delay. Today the WNBA is considered well… “too female” or “too lesbian”. Can the woman with Magic’s all around game change that? Like Magic will she immediately co-lead her team in her rookie year to a league championship? We’ll see. But this much is clear. A new WNBA era is upon us.
http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/05/18/wnba-candace-parker-has-magic-al-debut/
Candace Parker’s record breaking WNBA debut
Submitted by R. Neal on Sun, 2008/05/18 – 4:30pm.
Los Angeles Times:
Parker scored 34 points, the most in a WNBA debut, and grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Sparks beat the defending champion Phoenix Mercury, 99-94, on Saturday.
I’ve had hundreds of google hits today from people looking for Candace Parker’s salary.
It’s reported to be about $44K for her first season. She’ll easily be worth ten times that, or even 100 times that for the WNBA. She has also signed multi-year deals with Adidas and Gatorade estimated to be worth $3-4 million.
http://www.knoxviews.com/node/7932
Xavier Thompson
“Watching her debut, I was completely blown away. She is definately a completely different class of player than the wnba has ever seen. Simply said, she’s the FUTURE. What Candace Parker does is make Los Angeles SParks a championship contender. I predict the Sparks, Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury are going to battle it out for the top three contenders in the West, hands down. The East isn’t as predictabe but expect the Detroit Shock and Indiana Fever to be in the thick of things.”
Key Players on each team:
Los Angeles Sparks
Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie
Seattle Storm
Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Sheryl Swoopes, Yolanda Griffiths
Phoenix Mercury
Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter
Detroit Shock
Deanna Nolan, Katie Smith, Cheryl Ford
Indiana Fever
Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas
LETS SEE IF THE SAN ANTONIO SILVER STARS CAN PUT UP ANOTHER GOOD SEASON BEHIND BECKY HAMMON.
Parker scores 34, the most ever in a WNBA debut
By ANDREW BAGNATO – May 17, 2008
PHOENIX (AP) — Candace Parker had some jitters in her WNBA debut. It sure didn’t show. Parker scored 34 points, the most in a WNBA debut, and added 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the defending champion Phoenix Mercury 99-94 on Saturday.
The previous high in a WNBA debut was 25 points by Cynthia Cooper in 1997.
“It obviously was better than I expected,” said the 6-foot-4 Parker, who led Tennessee to back-to-back national titles. “Coming out, I just wanted to play hard. I was a little nervous, and I think my teammates did a good job of just keeping me in it mentally and just not allowing me to get frustrated.”
The game was tied at 79 early in the fourth quarter when Parker took over. She scored 10 straight points to give the Sparks an 89-86 lead with 3:15 to play.
Parker, who made 6-of-7 shots in the final quarter, hit a short hook shot to put the Sparks up 97-94 with 12 seconds to go.
“She’s the money player,” Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper said. “Put the ball in her hands and she did what she’s supposed to do.”
Parker wore a brace on her left shoulder, which she dislocated during the NCAA tournament. It didn’t slow her one bit.
Parker came within two assists of becoming the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double. Only one NBA player did it in his debut — Oscar Robertson, in 1960.
“Honestly, it was just finding the mismatch,” Parker said. “My teammates did a great job of just getting me the ball and just moving afterwards.”
Lisa Leslie, who missed last season on maternity leave, had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sparks.
Cappie Pondexter, fighting off jet lag, scored 32 points for Phoenix but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 4 seconds to go.
Pondexter arrived in Phoenix late Friday night after a long flight from Turkey, where she played during the WNBA offseason.
“She’s what you call a trooper,” Phoenix coach Corey Gaines said. “She had 32. I can’t wait until she gets a little sleep.”
Before the game, the Mercury celebrated their 2007 WNBA championship with a ring ceremony and the unveiling of US Airways Center’s lone basketball title banner.
Mercury star Diana Taurasi told the crowd of 13,749 that the Mercury aim to make it two in a row this season. But this is a different team.
Former coach Paul Westhead left after the season to join the Seattle SuperSonics’ staff, although he returned for the ring ceremony. And star forward Penny Taylor is back in her native Australia preparing for the Beijing Olympics.
With Phoenix-area resident Muhammad Ali watching from a baseline seat, the fired-up Mercury broke out to a 15-7 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Sparks answered with a 10-0 run capped by a pair of 3-pointers by Sidney Spencer, who hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter.
Taurasi missed her first six shots, showing the effects of a stomach virus she contracted after returning from Russia this week. She was scoreless until she made a 3-pointer late in the first half. Taurasi finished with 24 points.
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| Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker, right, grabs a rebound over Phoenix Mercury forward Le’Coe Willingham, front left, and guard Kelly Mazzante, rear left, in the first quarter of a WNBA basketball game Saturday, May 17, 2008, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors) |
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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hOZyV5qbRXHTZoUUZPO7OyQygyrQD90NLUJ00
After leading Tennessee to NCAA titles, Candace Parker has been an overnight superstar and the WNBA’s biggest draw just weeks after arriving in L.A. to play for the Sparks. (Darron Cummings – AP)
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After Dazzling Debut, Parker Sparks New Interest in WNBA
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After leading Tennessee to NCAA titles, Candace Parker has been an overnight superstar and the WNBA’s biggest draw just weeks after arriving in L.A. to play for the Sparks. (Darron Cummings – AP)
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Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 31, 2008; Page E03
The Candace Parker Express hits Washington today. Parker, the first overall selection in this year’s WNBA draft and quite possibly the most hyped player the 12-year-old league has seen, seems to set records with each game or provide fresh intrigue while attracting fans to arenas around the country.
Washington Mystics officials acknowledge that Parker is a significant reason why they’re expecting a crowd at least 10,000 at Verizon Center, where the Mystics play the Los Angeles Sparks at 3:30 p.m. Women’s basketball supporters hope Parker won’t just bring people to games but also provide the bridge the WNBA has long sought to bring its game to the average sports fan.
“Her charismatic presence and the originality of who she is has captivated this country,” WNBA President Donna Orender said. “We’re all waiting to see what happens. It’s about time that women can play the game of basketball with style, with the highest level of skills . . . and have it be fully celebrated and appreciated.”
By all accounts, men’s or women’s basketball hasn’t seen many athletes quite like Parker — and the WNBA certainly hasn’t. The 6-foot-4 Parker excels at every position and can turn just about any defender inside out at each of them.
She broke the league record for most points in a debut with 34 in the Sparks’ 99-94 victory over defending champion Phoenix on May 17 and nearly became the first WNBA player to record a triple-double, finishing with 12 rebounds and eight assists. In Thursday’s double-overtime loss to Indiana, she recorded 16 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 steals and 5 assists. And this is three games into her first professional season.
“She’s singly the most physically gifted player I’ve ever seen,” longtime ESPN analyst Doris Burke said. “If you like basketball, I don’t think you could watch Candace Parker play and not appreciate her skill level and what she brings to the table as a basketball player, regardless of gender.”
Parker’s career at Tennessee under Coach Pat Summitt included consecutive national championships, but she stepped into the spotlight before arriving in Knoxville when she beat five boys in a national dunk contest as a high school senior. She’s part of a new generation of players who grew up with the WNBA, something that Orender hopes signals another step forward in the league’s development.
“When we started this league it was just around one in 27 who played women’s basketball,” Orender said. “There’s been an exponential growth in the sport in the number of athletes, the families involved. Every single one of the pioneering stars has contributed to this base that has allowed Candace to come along at this time.”
So far this season, Los Angeles’s season ticket sales more than doubled, and its individual game sales increase fourfold. WNBAstore.com sold more of Parker’s jerseys than any other rookie in league history since the draft. Television ratings also are up across the league, with games on ESPN2 experiencing a 44 percent jump and Parker’s debut on ABC in the season opener registering a 60 percent increase.
Perhaps more impressive, though, is that the Sparks are having an impact on attendance at their road games. It remains to be seen whether those numbers will hold up or whether interest in Parker will translate into broader interest in the league.
“For a whole host of reasons, the league 10 years ago wasn’t where it is today,” Burke said. “I hope people give this league a chance at this point because there are much better athletes, who are far better coached and more highly skilled. Maybe Candace is the perfect storm, with the right timing, combined with the right skills and right personality to help.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/05/30/ST2008053003216.html
Youtube:
18 May 2008 … Visit http://www.wnba.com/video for more highlights. Candace Parker had the best rookie debut in WNBA history logging 34 poiints, …
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsCks-kBfKc
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17 May 2008 … Candace Parker scored 34 points, the most ever in a WNBA debut, and added 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the defending …
youtube.com/watch?v=1J3oxCe8js8
~ by diphoenix on May 31, 2008.
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Why Do I Have to Log In Again?
1. Deanna Nolan
2. Candace Parker
3. Becky Hammon
4. Katie Douglas
:)
doris burke and heather cox
You are my fav basketball player. I also play basketball at my school. I am only 12. Do you have any tips.
You are my favorite person in the universe. Keep working hard and
playing hard. I love you. Bye