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{{Infobox WNBA player
|name = Candace Parker
|profile = candace_parker
|nationality = [[United States|American]]
|image  = Candace Parker 2012.jpg
|caption = 
|position = [[Forward (basketball)|Forward]]
|height_ft = 6
|height_in = 4
|weight_lbs =175
|league = [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]
|team = Los Angeles Sparks
|number = 3
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|4|19}}
|birth_place = [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
|highschool = [[Naperville Central High School|Naperville Central High]]
|college = [[University of Tennessee|Tennessee]]
|draft = 1<sup>st</sup> overall
|draft_year = 2008
|draft_team = [[Los Angeles Sparks]]
|career_start = 2008
|career_end =
|overseas_career_start = 2009
|overseas_career_end =
|career_teams = Los Angeles Sparks (2008–present)
|overseas_career_teams = [[UMMC Ekaterinburg]] (2009–present)
|awards = [[Wade Trophy]] winner (2007)<br/>USBWA Player of the Year (2007, 2008)<br/>[[John R. Wooden Award|Wooden Award]] (2007, 2008)<br/>[[Naismith College Player of the Year|Naismith Award]] (2008)<br/>[[Honda-Broderick Cup]] (2008)<br/>[[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] [[WNBA Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]] ([[2008 WNBA season|2008]])<br/>[[Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award|WNBA MVP]] (2008)<BR>[[WNBA All-Star Game|WNBA All-Star]] (2011)<BR> 2&times; [[List of Women's National Basketball Association season rebounding leaders|WNBA rebounding champion]] (2008, 2009)
| medal_templates =
{{MedalSport | Women's [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]] | [[Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|Team competition]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 London]] | [[Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women|Team competition]]}}
| medal_templates-expand = true
}}

'''Candace Nicole Parker-Williams''' (born April 19, 1986) is an [[All-America]]n [[basketball]] player for the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]'s [[Los Angeles Sparks]] and [[UMMC Ekaterinburg]] of [[Russia]].  She is the younger sister of [[NBA]] player [[Anthony Parker]].  She attended the [[Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball|University of Tennessee]] and was drafted by the Sparks in [[2008 WNBA Draft|2008]].  She may be best known for being the first woman to [[Slam dunk|dunk]] in an [[NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA tournament]] game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game&mdash;she set both milestones as a [[redshirt freshman]] on March 19, 2006. She also became only the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008.<ref name="si">{{citenews|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/ian_thomsen/03/21/parker.draft/index.html|title=Parker has opportunity to declare for '07 WNBA draft|publisher=Sports Illustrated|date=2007-03-22|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref><ref name="sbee">{{cite news |last=Gutierrez |first=Melody |title=College stars boost WNBA draft suspense |newspaper=The Sacramento Bee |date=2007-04-02 |url=http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/147890.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080207023940/http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/147890.html|archivedate=2008-02-07 |accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref><ref>[http://www.wnba.com/news/overseas_0809.html Offseason 2008-09: Overseas Roster]</ref>

A versatile player, she is mainly a forward, but was listed on Tennessee's roster as a forward, center, and guard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volnation.com/blog/tennessee-lady-vols-basketball-roster-2006/|title=2006-07 Lady Vols Roster|accessdate=2008-11-11}}</ref> She was a starter on the [[Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball|Lady Vols]] basketball team, winners of the 2007 and 2008 [[NCAA]] championships.

Parker won the 2009 [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]] Kids' Choice award as the favorite female athlete in the sports category.

==Early life==
'''Candace Parker''' was born on April 19, 1986 to Natasha, who currently works for the front office of the [[Chicago Sky]], and Larry, who is in the insurance business. She has two older brothers: [[Anthony Parker]], who is an [[NBA]] player, and Marcus, who is a doctor.<ref name= "Biography Today">{{cite book |last=|first=|title=Biography Today|year=2010|page=143|publisher=Omnigraphics|location=[[Detroit, Michigan]] |isbn=978-0-7808-1058-7}}</ref>

She grew up in [[Naperville, Illinois]]. Her whole family loved basketball, and she began playing at an early age. Her father had played at the [[University of Iowa]] in the 1970s. The family were also huge [[Chicago Bulls]] fans. Candace was 2nd guessing about playing basketball, fearing she would not live up to the level of play her father and brother demonstrated, so she focused on playing soccer. It wasn't until the eighth grade that her family convinced her to play. Her father would help coach and critique her. Candace said of the experience, "He did things to make me mad, to challenge me, because I was so much more athletic and had so much more knowledge of the game than everyone else that sometimes I just coasted. If me and my dad went to a park and he didn't think I was practicing hard enough, he'd just get in the car and leave. And I'd have to run home. I mean run home. Once I figured that out, I'd always try to go to close-by-parks." <ref>"Biography Today", pp.144-145</ref>

==Playing career==
===High School===
Like her older brother [[Anthony Parker]], she attended [[Naperville Central High School]] in [[Naperville, Illinois]]; she graduated in 2004. While she was in her sophomore year she became the first female high-school player and only the fifth woman at any level to dunk a basketball in a sanctioned game. "The first two times I tried it in games I failed. Embarrassing! The third time was a charm and then cameras and reporters were everywhere--everyone wanted to talk about dunking."<ref name="Biography Today, pp.145">"Biography Today", pp.145</ref> While in high school, Parker led her basketball team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004. She amassed numerous accolades.

She is the only two-time award winner of the ''[[USA Today]]'' Player of the Year, winning the award in 2003 and 2004. Parker also won the [[Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award|Naismith]] and [[Gatorade Player of the Year awards|Gatorade]] Awards as national basketball player of the year for each of those years. She joins [[Marion Jones]], [[Greg Oden]], [[Brandon Knight (basketball)|Brandon Knight]] and [[LeBron James]] as the only back to back winners of the Gatorade honor. Parker was named [[Women's Basketball Coaches Association|WBCA]] All-American.<ref name="HS All-Americans"/> She participated in the 2004 [[Women's_Basketball_Coaches_Association#WBCA_High_School_All-America_Game|WBCA High School All-America Game]] where she scored nine points.<ref name="box score"/> In March 2004, she won the slam dunk contest at [[McDonald's All-American Game]] and she beat a lot of the top male athletes in the country. Including two first round draft picks. She also got on the [[USA Today All-USA high school basketball team]] and won the USA Today Player of the Year Award.<ref name="Biography Today, pp.145"/>

She was a consensus pick as player of the year in [[Illinois]] in 2002, 2003, and 2004. A four-year member of the All-State first team, Parker compiled a school-record 2,768 points (22.9 points per game) and 1,592 rebounds (13.2 rebounds per game) while starting 119 of the 121 games in which she played. She also became the first women's player to announce her commitment live on [[ESPNEWS]].

The summer after her junior year in high school, Parker tore her [[Anterior cruciate ligament|ACL]] in her left knee in a summer league game. She returned in December of her senior year and went on to lead her school to its second consecutive state title.

In August 2004, the "CP-3"s, Team USA roommates Candace Parker and [[Courtney Paris]], led the undefeated USA Junior World Championship team to a [[Gold medal]] with 16.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 15.8 ppg, & 9.0 rpg respectively. While training, Parker had a relapse of knee pain and was required to undergo surgery in her [[lateral meniscus]] & the lateral articular cartilage in her left knee.

Late in her high school career, Parker was featured in an episode of the television show [[Switched!|Switched]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} She traded places, for a short time with an East Coast surfer of the same age.

===College years===
Parker attended the [[University of Tennessee]]. She took a [[medical redshirt]] her freshman year of college, and started for the [[Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball|Tennessee Lady Vols]] during the 2005-06 season. She would make history yet again as she would dunk twice in one game.<ref name="Biography Today, pp.146">"Biography Today", pp.146</ref> Carol Ross, head coach of the [[University of Mississippi]] [[Ole Miss Rebels]], said this of Parker: "She's the toughest matchup in the game. On many nights, she's the best guard on the floor, the best post on the floor, the best rebounder on the floor, the best passer on the floor, and, let's not forget, the best scorer on the floor. She's got the strut of a competitor and the stuff of a champion."<ref name="Biography Today, pp.146"/>

She was the [[Southeastern Conference]] ''Rookie of the Year'' (Coaches and AP) and helped the Lady Vols win the [[SEC Tournament|2006 SEC Tournament Championship]]. With 17 seconds remaining in the [[SEC Tournament|2006 SEC Tournament Championship Game]] against [[LSU Tigers|LSU]], Parker hit the game-winning shot. She was named Tournament MVP and was named to the 2006 Kodak All-America team, making her one of the few to ever receive the award as a freshman. However, in the NCAA Tournament regional finals against [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|North Carolina]], Parker got in early foul trouble and was out of the game for much of the first half. The University of North Carolina ultimately won the game.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:candace&nicky.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Candace and [[Nicky Anosike]] celebrate. {{Deletable image-caption|date=May 2012}}]] -->
Parker was the only college player named to the USA squad for the [[2006 FIBA World Championship for Women]] in [[Brazil]]. The USA squad finished in third place.

On January 28, 2007, in an away game against Alabama, Parker scored her 1,000th career point as a sophomore making her the fastest player in Lady Vol history to do so. She did it in 56 games, besting [[Chamique Holdsclaw]]'s mark of 57 games and [[Tamika Catchings]]'s of 58 games. On March 1, at the SEC tournament in Duluth, Georgia, Parker was named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year. On April 3, she led the Lady Vols to their first National Championship victory since 1998, beating Rutgers 59-46; Parker finished the game with 17 points and earned the tournament's [[NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player|Most Outstanding Player]] honor.

Parker announced on February 21, 2008 that she would forego her final season of eligibility at Tennessee in order to focus on the [[Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Olympics]] and pursue a professional career. She graduated with her incoming class in May 2008.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/022108aaa.html |title=Parker to pursue Olympics and pro career |publisher=University of Tennessee Women's Athletic Department |date=2008-02-21 |accessdate=2008-03-03}}</ref> A sports management major who had a 3.35 grade point average as of December 2007, she was named University Division Academic All-American of the Year in women's basketball for 2008 by the College Sports Information Directors of America.<ref name="Academic AA">{{cite web|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/022608aaa.html |title=Parker is Academic All-American of the Year |author=College Sports Information Directors of America |publisher=University of Tennessee Women's Athletic Department |date=2008-02-26 |accessdate=2008-03-03}}</ref>

On April 8, 2008, Parker led the Lady Vols to their second straight NCAA women's title, the eighth championship for Tennessee. She was also named the MVP for the second consecutive tournament, joining [[Cheryl Miller]], [[Chamique Holdsclaw]] and [[Diana Taurasi]] as the only female players to have done so. She won the honor despite suffering a dislocated shoulder during her team's regional finals win, but returned (wearing a white long-sleeve T-shirt under her jersey) and led the Lady Vols to the title. Although Parker had a year of eligibility remaining due to her medical redshirt in the 2004-2005 season, she opted to enter the WNBA Draft following the championship victory. While at Tennessee, she compiled a record of 101 wins and 10 losses.

===WNBA===
[[File:2008-W-NCAA-Final-Four-4-07-08.jpg|thumb|Parker (left) gets ready for the jump ball]]
Just after the NCAA victory, Parker was selected as the first pick in the [[2008 WNBA Draft]] by the [[Los Angeles Sparks]]. She currently plays alongside Olympic teammates Tina Thompson and [[Delisha Milton-Jones]]. Shannon Bobbitt (Parker's teammate at Tennessee) joined the Sparks after being drafted in the second round.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/sports/ncaabasketball/09ncaa.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=&st=nyt |title=Summitt wins again when it matters |author=Jeré Longman, with The AP |publisher=iht.com |date=2008-04-09 |accessdate=2008-04-09}}</ref>

On May 17, 2008, in her debut game against the [[Phoenix Mercury]], she recorded 34 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Her 34 points broke the record for a rookie in a debut game. The record was previously held by [[Cynthia Cooper (basketball)|Cynthia Cooper]], who scored 26 points in her debut game in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/basketball/news/newsid=131077.html|title=Parker scores 34, the most ever in a WNBA debut|author=Bagnato, Andrew|date=2008-05-17|accessdate=2008-05-17|work=Associated Press|publisher=Google}}</ref>

On June 22, 2008, she became the second woman in WNBA history-after her teammate [[Lisa Leslie]]-to dunk during a regulation WNBA game against the Indiana Fever and [[Michelle Snow]] in the 2006 WNBA All-Star game. The dunk was on the same basket as the dunk of her teammate.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/23/sports/sp-sparks23 | work=The Los Angeles Times | title=Parker dunks to cap win | first=Dan | last=Arritt | date=2008-06-23}}</ref>

Parker was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Month for the month of May 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnba.com/news/rookieofmonth_080603.html|title=Parker Named Hanns-G Rookie of the Month}}</ref> She received the same honor for July 2008.

In August 2008, the WNBA suspended play for a couple of weeks to some of their players to join the [[Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women|U.S.'s National Women's Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]. Parker was selected to go, as was teammate Lisa Leslie, and the US team cruised with 8 straight victories to achieve the gold medal. They won games with an average margin of 38.8 points. They faced [[Australia women's national basketball team|Australia]] in the final game, and won, 92-65. Parker averaged 9.4 points in the tournament, and scored 14 in the finals game.<ref>"Biography Today", pp.149</ref>

On October 3, 2008, she was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Year as well as Most Valuable Player for the 2008 WNBA season.  She became the first WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in the same season.<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=3623772</ref> In addition, she also joined [[Wilt Chamberlain]] and [[Wes Unseld]] as the only professional American basketball players to win both ROY and MVP trophies in the same season.

Candace Parker missed the first eight games of the 2009 [[WNBA]] season after giving birth to daughter, Lailaa Williams.  On June 30, Candace returned to practice with her teammates for the first time.<ref>[http://www.wnba.com/features/candace_watch.html Parker Returns To Practice]</ref> She played her first game back from maternity leave on July 5, 2009.  Candace earned 2nd Team All-WNBA honors despite missing almost a full month.  She led the Sparks to the Western Conference Finals but lost in 3 games to the Phoenix Mercury.  In the playoffs, Parker averaged 18 points and over 10 rebounds per game. She missed most of the 2010 WNBA season due to a shoulder injury.

In 2011, Candace Parker played six games. During the seventh game, with 5:56 left in the third quarter, Parker went down after grabbing a defensive rebound and making brief contact with [[Quanitra Hollingsworth]]. After getting an MRI on June 27th, she found out she had a torn meniscus in her right knee, causing her to miss the remainder of the season.

==USA Basketball==
Parker was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.<ref name="National Team">{{cite web|url=http://usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=09_wnt_fall_invitees_add_rm|title=USA Basketball Women's National Team To Tip-Off Training Tomorrow In D.C.|publisher=USA Basketball|accessdate=2009-10-01}}</ref> The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.<ref name="National Team" />

Parker was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball payers, plus one collegiate player ([[Brittney Griner]]), were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympics in London.<ref name="Olympic Roster finalists"/>

===The Brawl===
{{POV|date=November 2011}}
On July 22, 2008 Parker was involved in a fight during a game against the [[Detroit Shock]]. With 4.5 seconds before the game was officially over, the fighting began on the court after [[Plenette Pierson]] made a hard box out after a free throw on Candace Parker; the two players became entangled and Parker fell to the ground. As Parker was down, Pierson stormed over to Parker and aggressively walked over the top of her; in response, Parker tackled Pierson to the court. Parker threw a punch at Pierson before being tackled by [[Deanna Nolan]] as players and coaches from both teams joined in. Coach [[Rick Mahorn]] came off the bench — as a [[peace makers|peacemaker]] — but the 6'10", 300-plus pounder incited more violence when he inadvertently knocked Los Angeles forward [[Lisa Leslie]] to the floor. Leslie's teammate, [[DeLisha Milton-Jones]], then came to her rescue by punching a stunned Mahorn in the shoulder. In response, Mahorn was hit by Sparks players Milton-Jones, [[Murriel Page]] and [[Shannon Bobbitt]]. Pierson, Parker, Milton-Jones, and Mahorn were all ejected. The altercation also resulted in a season-ending ACL injury to [[Cheryl Ford]], who was trying to restrain her teammate.

==WNBA career statistics==
{{WNBA player statistics legend}}

=== Regular season ===
{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | [[2008 WNBA season|2008]]
| align="left" | [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]]
| '''33''' || '''33''' || '''33.6''' || '''.523''' || '''.423''' || .733 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|9.5 || '''3.4''' || '''1.3''' || '''2.3''' || 2.82 || 18.5
|-
| align="left" | [[2009 WNBA season|2009]]
| align="left" | [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]]
| 25 || 24 || 32.6 || .485 || .208 || '''.763''' || style="background:#D3D3D3"|9.8 || 2.6 || 0.6 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|2.1 || 2.20 || 13.1
|-
| align="left" | [[2010 WNBA season|2010]]
| align="left" | [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]]
| 10 || 10 || 33.5 || .500 || .250 || .732 || '''10.1''' || 2.2 || 1.0 || 2.2 || 3.20 || '''20.6'''
|-
| align="left" | [[2011 WNBA season|2011]]
| align="left" | [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]]
| 17 || 16 || 32.6 || .511 || .419 || .736 || 8.6 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 1.6 || '''1.94''' || 18.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |4 years, 1 team
| 85 || 83 || 33.1 || .508 || .352 || .739 || 9.5 || 2.9 || 1.0 || 2.1 || 2.51 || 17.2
{{s-end}}

===Postseason===
{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | [[2008 WNBA Playoffs|2008]]
| align="left" | [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]]
| '''6''' || '''6''' || '''36.5''' || .459 || .000 || '''.759''' || 9.8 || '''3.8''' || '''1.5''' || '''2.2''' || 2.83 || 15.0
|-
| align="left" | [[2009 WNBA Playoffs|2009]]
| align="left" | [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]]
| '''6''' || '''6''' || 35.2 || '''.535''' || '''.250''' || .705 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|'''10.7''' || 1.7 || 0.8 || 1.8 || '''1.67''' || '''18.0'''
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |2 years, 1 team
| 12 || 12 || 35.8 || .497 || .091 || .726 || 10.3 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 2.0 || 16.5
{{s-end}}

==Personal life==
On November 13, 2008, Parker married her fiancé, [[Shelden Williams]], who was a college basketball star for [[Duke Blue Devils men's basketball|Duke University]], and current player for the [[Brooklyn Nets]]. The couple welcomed a baby girl named Lailaa Nicole Williams on May 13, 2009.

Parker grew up in Chicago adoring the [[Chicago Bulls|Bulls]] and was a Michael Jordan fan. Her all-time favorite player is [[Ron Harper]], of whom she has a picture hanging in her bedroom. She has two dogs: a [[St. Bernard (dog)|St. Bernard]] mix named Fendi, with whom she appeared in an anti-fur ad for [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals|PETA]],<ref>Reid Chemer, "[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/05/candace-parker-stars-in-new-peta-ad/1#.T_yNAo4swbV Candace Parker Stars in New PETA Ad]," ''USAToday'', 14 May, 2010.</ref> and a [[pug]] named Nino, who is named after a character in the movie ''[[New Jack City]]''. Parker’s favorite movies are ''[[Love and Basketball]]'' and ''[[He Got Game]]''. She also likes to listen to Disney soundtracks such as ''[[The Little Mermaid (soundtrack)|The Little Mermaid]]'' and watch ''[[Full House]]'' and ''[[The Cosby Show]]''.<ref>Wojciechowski, Gene. Parker: First-rate game and a first-rate life. 5 December 2007. <http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3141784>.</ref>

Parker was named Academic All-American 2007–08 by the ESPN the magazine. She had a 3.55 GPA when she won this award.<ref>UT Reports. Candace Parker Academic All-America of Year. 27 February 2008. <http://tennessee.scout.com/2/732487.html>.</ref>

==Records==
* 1st WNBA player to win [[WNBA MVP]] and [[WNBA Rookie of the Year]] Award in the same season.
* 1st WNBA player to dunk in consecutive games
* Most points scored (34) by a rookie in her debut.

==Awards==
===High School===
* All-Area Team (2001-2004: Chicago Sun Times, News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune)<ref name="cstv">{{cite web|title=Player Bio - Candace Parker|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/parker_candace00.html|accessdate=2007-02-25}}</ref>
* All-State Team (2001-2004: AP, Chicago Sun Times, News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune, IBCA)<ref name="cstv" />
* Gatorade Illinois State Player of the Year (2002–2004)<ref name="cstv" />
* Illinois Miss Basketball (2002–2004)<ref name="cstv" />
* Illinois State Player of the Year (2002–2004: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, Naperville Sun and  News-Gazette)<ref name="cstv" />
* First Team All-American (2002–2004: Nike, 2000-2004: Parade, Street & Smith's, USA Today, 2004: McDonald's)<ref name="cstv" />
* Second Team All-American (2002: Parade, Student Sports)<ref name="cstv" />
* Third Team All-American (2002: USA Today)<ref name="cstv" />
* Fourth Team All-American (2002: Street & Smith's)<ref name="cstv" />
* Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003–2004)<ref name="cstv" />
* USA Today High School Player of the Year (2003–2004)<ref name="cstv" />
* 2004 Powerade Jam Fest Winner<ref name="cstv" />
* Gatorade High School Player of the Year (2003–2004)<ref name="cstv" />
* 2004 Women's Sports Foundation High School Athlete of the Year<ref name="cstv" />

===College===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*2007/08 - Junior
** 2008 Academic All-America of the Year, University Division<ref name="Academic AA"/>
** 2008 Associated Press Player of the Year<ref>{{cite web | url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gzN_IWKDxsD_glnxSuGWX7L6E5LQD8VRPOA80 | title = Candace Parker named AP Player of the Year | publisher = AP | date = 2008-05-04 | accessdate = 2008-05-04}}</ref>
** 2008 Naismith Trophy Winner<ref>{{cite web | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=3334239 | title = Candace Parker named Naismith Player of the Year | publisher = ESPN | date = 2008-07-04 | accessdate = 2008-07-04}}</ref>
** 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
** 2008 [[John R. Wooden Award]] winner
** 2008 Basketball Honda Sports Award Winner
** 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Oklahoma City Region Most Outstanding Player
** 2008 ESPN.com Player of the Year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=56654&provider=rss|title=Parker wins second straight John Wooden Award| accessdate=2008-04-12}}</ref>
** 2007/08 [[Honda-Broderick Cup]] winner<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080623006209&newsLang=en|title= Basketball Star Candace Parker Awarded 2008 Honda-Broderick Cup|publisher=Business Wire|date=2008-06-23|accessdate=2008-06-23}}</ref>
** 2007/08 SEC Female Athlete of the Year<ref>[http://www.utladyvols.com/default/tennw-default.html utladyvols.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
** 2008 Kodak All-American
** 2008 SEC Tournament MVP
** 2008 SEC Tournament First Team
** 2008 All-SEC First Team
**2008 [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]] Female Athlete of the Year<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.bet.com/specials/betawards08/betawards-nominees/beta-winners|title=BET Awards 2008 Winners}}</ref>
**2008 [[Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award]] winner<ref name=08ESPY>{{cite news|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/16/parker-wins-two-espy-awards-summit-named-top-coach/|title=Parker wins two ESPY Awards; Summitt named top coach}}</ref>
**2008 [[Best Female Athlete ESPY Award]] winner<ref name=08ESPY/>

{{col-2}}
*2006/07 - Sophomore
** 2007 SEC Player of the Week (2/12,<ref>{{cite web|title=CANDACE PARKER NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/021207aaa.html|accessdate=2007-02-25}}</ref> 3/1)
** 2007 SEC Player of the Year<ref name="SEC2007">{{cite web|title=2007 SEC Women's Basketball Awards Announced|url=http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=4&url_article_id=8449&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2|accessdate=2007-02-28 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070930160519/http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=4&url_article_id=8449&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2 |archivedate = September 30, 2007}}</ref>
** 2007 First Team All-SEC<ref name="SEC2007" />
** 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament - Dayton Regional Most Outstanding Player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsline.com/ncaawbasketball/gamecenter/recap/NCAAW_20070327_MS@TN|title=Parker, Tennessee thrash Ole Miss to reach Final Four|accessdate=2007-03-27}}</ref>
** 2007 1st Team All-American (AP,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/ncaa/03/28/womens.allamericans.ap/|title=Paris, Latta head All-America squad|accessdate=2007-03-29}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Kodak,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033107aaa.html|title=Candace Parker named Kodak All-American|accessdate=2007-03-31}}{{Dead link|date=April 2009}}</ref> John R. Wooden<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volunteertv.com/sports/headlines/6779967.html|title=Candace Parker named John R. Wooden All-American|accessdate=2007-04-04}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>)
** 2007 [[Wade Trophy]] Winner<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slog.cstv.com/shesonfire/2007/03/all_cp3_all_the_time.html|title=All CP3 All The Time|accessdate=2007-03-31}}</ref>
** 2007 USBWA Player of the Year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033107aab.html|title=Parker named to USBWA Player of the Year|accessdate=2007-03-31}}</ref>
** 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player<ref name="lotsofawards">{{cite web|url=http://www.utladyvols.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/041607aab.html|title=CANDACE PARKER NAMED 2006-07 HONDA AWARD WINNER|2007-04-17}}</ref>
** 2007 John R. Wooden Award Winner<ref name="lotsofawards" />
** 2007 Basketball [[Honda Award|Honda Sports Award]] Winner<ref name="lotsofawards" />

*2005/06 - Freshman
** 2006 NCAA Cleveland Regional All-Region Team<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 SEC Tournament MVP<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 SEC Freshman of the Year<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 All-SEC First Team<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 All-SEC Freshman Team<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 SEC Freshman of the Week (12/5, 12/19, 1/10, 1/16)<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 SEC Player of the Week (1/16)<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 Lady Vol Athlete of the Week (11/28, 1/16)<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 Lady Vol Athlete of the Month (January)<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 AP Second Team All-American<ref name="cstv" />
** 2006 Kodak All-American<ref name="cstv" />

{{col-end}}

===WNBA===
*2008 [[Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]] winner<ref name=ROY>{{cite press release|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=3623772|title=Sparks' Parker wins rookie of year, MVP honors}}</ref>
*2008 [[WNBA Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year Award]] winner<ref name=ROY/>
*2008 [[Associated Press|AP]] Female Athlete of the Year<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/12/23/Parker.AP.ap/index.html Parker Named AP Female Athlete of the Year] December 23, 2008</ref>
*2008 [[All-WNBA Team]] member
*2008 [[WNBA All-Rookie Team]] member

==Europeen career==
*2010-2011 Champion of Russia (UMMC)
*2010-2012 Winner of the Russian cup

== References ==
{{Reflist|2|refs=

<ref name="HS All-Americans">{{cite web|url=http://www.wbca.org/education/wbca-events/wbca-high-school-all-america-game/past-hsaa/|title=2004 WBCA High School All-Americans |publisher=WBCA|accessdate=2009-10-31}}</ref>

<ref name="box score">{{cite web|url=http://www.wbca.org/education/wbca-events/wbca-high-school-all-america-game/box-scores/|title=2004 WBCA High School All-America Game|publisher=WBCA|accessdate=2009-10-31}}</ref>

<ref name="Olympic Roster finalists">{{cite web|title=Twenty-One Finalists In The Mix For Final 2012 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/national/12_woly_21_finalists.html|publisher=USA Basketball|accessdate=13 February 2012|date=February 13, 2012}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
* [http://www.CandaceParker.com Candace Parker Official Site] CandaceParker.com
* [http://www.vibe.com/celebs/feature.html?id=165 Candace Parker Profile] VIBE
* {{WNBA-profile}}

<!--Navigation boxes-->

{{Navboxes
| title = Candace Parker &ndash; championships, awards and honors
| list1 =
{{2008 WNBA Draft}}
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{{WNBA Rookies of the Year}}
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{{WNBA rebounding leaders}}
{{WNBA blocks leaders}}
{{2007 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball navbox}}
{{2008 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball navbox}}
{{USBWA National Player of the Year – Women}}
{{Women's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year}}
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{{Wade Trophy}}
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{{Southeastern Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year}}
{{Gatorade National Athlete of the Year}}
{{Footer 2008 Olympic Champions Basketball Women}}
}}
{{Los Angeles Sparks current roster}}
{{United States Women Basketball Squad 2012 Summer Olympics}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME              = Parker, Candace
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Basketball player
| DATE OF BIRTH     = 1986-04-19
| PLACE OF BIRTH    = St. Louis, Missouri
| DATE OF DEATH     =
| PLACE OF DEATH    =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Candace}}
[[Category:1986 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women's basketball players]]
[[Category:African-American women's basketball players]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in Russia]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Illinois]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Missouri]]
[[Category:Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year]]
[[Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri]]
[[Category:People from Naperville, Illinois]]
[[Category:Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball players]]
[[Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)]]
[[Category:Power forwards (basketball)]]
[[Category:Women's National Basketball Association first overall draft picks]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Sparks players]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in basketball]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]

[[de:Candace Parker]]
[[es:Candace Parker]]
[[fr:Candace Parker]]
[[it:Candace Parker]]
[[lv:Kendesa Pārkere]]
[[mk:Кендис Паркер]]
[[ja:キャンデース・パーカー]]
[[pl:Candace Parker]]
[[ru:Паркер, Кэндис]]
[[fi:Candace Parker]]
[[sv:Candace Parker]]
[[tr:Candace Parker]]