6 things to know about Chicago Sky star Candace Parker, including her Tennessee volleyball offer and basketball running in the family

The Chicago Sky made a big splash Wednesday when they reportedly reached an agreement with 2-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker. Parker is one of the greatest basketball players of her generation and this signing marks a homecoming for the Chicago native.

Parker spent her first 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, where she averaged 16.9 points per game and 8.6 rebounds to go along with 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks.

Her career stats have been impressive, but so have her accolades at every level. In high school, she won two Class AA state titles for Naperville Central. Shen then chose to play for Pat Summit at Tennessee, where she was SEC Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year and a two-time NCAA National Champion. Parker was picked No. 1 overall to the Sparks, won two WNBA MVPs and a title in 2016.

Now, Parker hopes to team up with the Sky to bring a championship back to the Windy City. The Sky already have three former All-Stars on the roster — Diamond DeShields, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley — so adding Parker into the mix should make the Sky a championship contender.

Here are five things to know about the Naperville native.

1. She was a 3-time Ms. Basketball of Illinois.

Parker established herself as a household name as a sophomore at Naperville Central. She averaged 22.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game and narrowly won Ms. Basketball of Illinois. She also became the first woman to dunk in a basketball game.

She edged out senior Johanna Solverson of Lake Zurich in the voting by 23 points, becoming the second sophomore in the then 17-year history of the award to win it. The other? Tamika Catchings.

The next two years of voting weren’t close — her margin of victory in 2003 was 281 points and 906 points in 2004. She joined Cappie Pondexter as the only women to win back-to-back Ms. Basketball of Illinois awards and then became the first to win it three times in 2004.

“Parker often has been compared to LeBron James, the phenomenal 6-foot-8 prep standout from Akron, Ohio, who was the Naismith boys winner and is expected to be the No. 1 selection in this year’s NBA Draft,” the Tribune said about Parker in 2003.

2. Parker’s first offer from Tennessee wasn’t for basketball.

Apparently, basketball wasn’t the only sport Parker was good at. She received a letter in the mail from Tennessee in high school and was elated.

“I saw the Tennessee Lady Vol(unteers) symbol and I was like, ‘Yes, Pat Summit, she finally recognized me,’” Parker said in an interview with NBA 2KTV.

Parker ran around her house, showed her parents and opened the letter — only to find out it was a volleyball scholarship, not a basketball one. Eventually, she did get the basketball letter she coveted. For Parker’s part, said she still plays beach volleyball.

3. Parker is an NBA analyst on TNT and co-hosts a podcast.

In 2018, Parker added another title to her basketball resume: analyst. She agreed to a multi-year deal with TNT that allowed her to commentate on NBA TV, NBA on TNT and NCAA tournament coverage.

She and Kristen Ledlow also host their own podcast called Ledlow & Parker. They have spoken with a variety of basketball minds, including Damian Lillard, Cheryl Miller, Sue Bird and Grant Hill among others.

“I’m so excited to be returning to Turner Sports to work alongside the best teammates in the world,” Parker said back in 2019 after signing the deal.

4. She shares an ownership stake in Angel City FC, an expansion NWSL team in Los Angeles, with her daughter.

Angel City FC was founded in July 2020 and is set to begin competing in the NWSL in 2022. Parker and her daughter, Lailaa, join a star-studded lineup of owners in the team.

Actress Natalie Portman led the majority ownership group, but the list of former athletes is extensive: Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Lindsey Vonn, P.K. Subban /and others own a piece of the team.

“Lailaa and I are pumped!” Parker posted on her instagram in October. “Baby girl, you can do and be anything you want to be! Keep dreaming and Mommy’s right here with you! #MommyDaughterBusinessPartners”

5. Basketball talent runs in her family.

Candace isn’t the only Parker who has found success on the basketball court. Her parents met at Iowa — where her dad Larry played basketball and her mom Sara was a cheerleader.

Her two older brothers also played basketball — Marcus played in high school and Anthony went on to play at Bradley University before making the jump to the NBA.

Parker’s career wasn’t defined by his nine seasons in the NBA, but instead his five years withMaccabi Tel Aviv. There, he won five Israeli championships and National Cups, three European titles and two EuroLeague MVPs. He is now the general manager of the Lakeland Magic.

6. Parker and her daughter have two dogs.

During the quarantine, Parker was still practicing her basketball skills — against her dog. The video of her playing with her dog Nahla, who plays pretty good defense, went viral.

“Nahla is going for the DPOTYD (Defensive Player of the Year Dog) she said check up,” Parker said in her Instagram post.

She also has a second dog named Ace. Parker frequently posts her dogs on her Instagram account..

Parker also had a dog named Fendi who passed away in 2015 and she has partnered with PETA on anti-fur campaigns in the past.