Candace Parker, a renowned player who graduated from the University of Tennessee and whose influence changed women’s basketball at the high school, collegiate, professional, and international levels of the sport, declared her retirement on Sunday. She has played in the WNBA and abroad for the previous sixteen years, winning two gold medals while competing for the United States Olympic Team.
Parker attended Rocky Top from 2004 to 2008, and the school’s logbook has numerous fingerprints from that time. Her No. 3 jersey banner, which was raised on January 2, 2014, is suspended from the ceiling of Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena. During the ceremony, her coach, the now-deceased Pat Summitt, was present and watched with pride.
The 6-foot-4 guard/forward/center from Naperville, Illinois, redshirted her first year in Knoxville and went on to play for Summitt’s team for three incredible seasons. She helped the Big Orange win NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 2008 before starting a 16-year career full of significant moments in the WNBA.
WNBA Achievements
2008–23 (Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas)
top choice in 2008 NBA Draft
three times WNBA Champion (Las Vegas, 2023; Los Angeles, 2016; Chicago, 2021).
eight times (2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) as a WNBA All-Star
Seven times on the first team, the 10-time All-WNBA team
The 2008 MVP and Rookie of the Year winner was the only WNBA player to do so.
twice NBA MVP in 2008 and 2013
MVP of the WNBA Finals 2016
MVP of the WNBA All-Star Game (2013)
The 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
Rookie of the Year in the WNBA (2008)
The 2008 WNBA All-Rookie Team
Twice WNBA Second Team All-Defensive (2009, 2021).
The 2021 WNBA 25th Anniversary Team
The 2016 WNBA 20th Anniversary Team
Only WNBA players have the most points, rebounds, assists, and blocks in the top 10.
WNBA leader in rebounds in 2008, 2009, and 2020
WNBA helps its captain (2015)
Olympic Performances
Beijing’s 2008 gold medallist
2012 London gold medallist
College Achievements
109 of the Lady Vols’ 110 games from 2005 to 2008 were started.
SEC Champion (2007) NCAA Champion (2006, 2008) SEC Tournament Champion
All-American (AP & WBCA) in 2006, 2007, and 2008
Player of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers (2007, 2008)
Player of the Year (John R. Wooden) (2007, 2008)
2008 Naismith Player of the Year
Player of the Year from the Associated Press (2008)
ESPN.com 2008’s National Player of the Year
Honda-Broderick Cup 2008 Women’s Sports Athlete of the Year
Female Athlete of the Year, 2008 ESPY Awards
2008 ESPY Awards: Best Female Collegiate Athlete
State Farm Wade Trophy (2007) Honda Sports Award (2007, 2008)
Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament (2007, 2008)
NCAA Final Four All-Star Team (2008, 2007)
Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Regional Tournament (2007, 2008)
All-Regional Team for the NCAA Tournament (2006, 2007, 2008)
SEC 2008’s Female Athlete of the Year
All-SEC First Team (2006, 2007, 2008) and SEC Player of the Year (2007)
MVP of the SEC Tournament (2006), 2008
2006 and 2008 SEC All-Tournament Teams
SEC 2006’s Freshman of the Year
SEC Freshman All-Star Team (2006)
Academic All-American of the Year by CoSIDA (2008)
Academic All-American by CoSIDA (2007, 2008)
All-SEC Academic (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
2008 University of Tennessee sport management graduate
Rankings for Career Statistics at UT
top spot in dunks (7)
#1 in terms of free throws (526)
Block No. 2 (275)
Blocks per game, second place (2.50)
second in terms of rebounds per game (8.84).
third-best scorer of all time (2,137 points)
Field goals, no. 3 (797)
Average score of No. 5 (19.4 points per game)
eighth-best rebounder of all time (972 rebounds)Rankings for the UT Single-Season Statistics
top spot in terms of free throws (201 in 2007–08)
leading in terms of free throw attempts (288 in 2007–08).
top spot in dunks (four in 2006–07)
Highest double-double total (21 in 2006–07)
Third place with 809 points in 2007–2008
third in terms of rebounds per game (in 2006–07, 9.8)
Block No. 3 (99 in 2006–07)
with 166 free throws in 2006–07, ranking third
score average (21.3 in 2007–08) is ranked fourth.
Block No. 4 (90 in 2007–08)
ranking fifth in rebounds (352 in 2006–07)
ranked fifth among field goals (300 in 2007–08)
Blocks per game (2.880 in 2006–07) ranks No. 5
sixth place among free throwers (159 in 2005–06)
Block No. 6 (86 in 2005–06)
Blocks per game (2.389 in 2005–06) rank No. 6
Blocks per game (2.368 in 2007–08) rank No. 7.
score of 10 out of 706 in 2006–07.
in rebounds (322 in 2007–08), ranking 10thRankings for UT Single-Game Statistics
in free throws made (17 against Middle Tennessee, 12/13/07): No. 1 (tied).
most number of free throw attempts (21 against Middle Tennessee, 12/13/07).
Top in dunks (2 vs Army in the NCAA Tournament, March 19, 2006)
Tied for ninth place in blocks (7 against Michigan State on November 24, 2005, and at La. Tech on November 28, 2006).
Other Superlatives from UT
three times led Tennessee in season points per contest
three times led Tennessee in season rebounds per game
three times overtook Tennessee in season blocks per game
Career Accolades at UT
2019’s Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame
Her jersey banner hung from the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena, shared by her coach Pat Summitt and six other women’s players from Tennessee. (2014)
acclaimed as a 2020 SEC Women’s Legend
Parker-affiliated basketball courts
A court was named for her in her native Naperville, Illinois.
In order to rejuvenate the basketball court at the Cal Johnson Rec Center in Knoxville, 2K Foundations collaborated with artist Erin Miller Wray and Candace Parker to create a new surface that visually honors the local population.
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