Candace Parker is here because of Title IX, so she's telling its story through documentary

Candace Parker still remembers when she realized the world thought boys were better than girls.

It was a disappointing realization for a kid who was never limited by the fact that she was a girl, whose nickname was “Can Do” and whose mother made sure her father coached her the same way as her two older brothers. It’s a realization she wants to keep prolonging for her 12-year-old daughter, Lailaa – preferably long enough for it to no longer be true.

Even if Lailaa comes to that realization, she may not believe it the way her mother operates. Parker, who is going into her 15th WNBA season, has used her decorated basketball career to accomplish much more beyond the court.

She was the first woman on the cover of an NBA 2K cover and is one of the few WNBA players to have a signature shoe (and an apparel collection with Adidas). She's done a TED Talk, been her alma mater's homecoming grand marshal and has been a studio analyst for NBA on TNT since 2018.

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Parker, who grew up in Naperville, Illinois, even has a day named after her in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot proclaimed Sept. 16 as Candace Parker Day, a month before she led the Chicago Sky to the WNBA championship .

“I'm inspired because of her," Parker said of her daughter. “I want to continue to open up doors and I don't want her to see limitations.”

The former Tennessee star is setting yet another example of living without limits as the executive producer for the feature-length documentary “Title IX: 37 Words That Changed America," which premieres at 1 p.m. ET Saturday on TBS.

Even more so than the finished product – which is special in itself to share with her family – Parker is proud her daughter has gotten to witness the process from start to finish.

“I think the biggest thing is her seeing the calls and things like that, like me being a part of this project and really making this my passion project,” Parker said. “I think that to me is super valuable, and she's been a part of this process. I remember when we had dinner and I told her that the doc was a go and we got green-lighted and everything was moving forward.”

In the 50th year since Title IX was signed into legislation, the documentary will celebrate the societal and cultural impact through Parker’s eyes.

“I sit here because of Title IX and I hope that – although we have so many wins – we have so much further to go,” Parker said. "That's why we went with having the Title IX story told through my eyes, so that you can really see if Title IX didn't exist, I wouldn't exist."

It’s the first project for Parker’s company, Baby Hair Productions, which is working in association with Scout Productions.

Featuring Title IX for her first project was fitting to Parker, who acknowledged she is “standing on the shoulders of those that opened up doors that they couldn’t even walk through.”

Before Parker won two WNBA titles, before she was a two-time WNBA MVP and six-time WNBA All-Star, she played for a pioneer of Title IX. Stories of legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt are told in the documentary, including by Hall of Fame quarterback and UT great Peyton Manning.

“Title IX, it doesn’t just impact women,” Parker said. “To watch Peyton Manning talk about how Pat really influenced his life, as a competitor, and just as an individual and ... to see somebody that is an icon to say that I think speaks to how valuable women in leadership positions are.”

Billie Jean King, Adam Silver and Lisa Leslie are also included in the documentary's guest lineup.

Parker is building her empire, guided by her idols who came before her, opened the doors and left something better. It's the kind of legacy she wants to leave – to leave every room she walks into better off, simply from her being there.

"I think if you're just bettering things for yourself, then what you are really doing?" Parker said. "I want to make sure that I can look my daughter and my son in the eyes and say that they have equal opportunities. And until that happens, I want to continue to open up as many doors as I can – no matter if I can't walk through them."

Cora Hall: Covering UT women's athletics
Twitter | cora.hall@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Candace Parker produced a documentary on Title IX. Here's why.