Candace Parker isn’t slowing up yet. Her Chicago Sky are second in the WNBA Eastern Conference and she still flirts with a triple double on some nights, even at 35 years old. For a player who’s accomplished nearly everything in her sport—Parker has won two NCAA championships, a WNBA championship, finals MVP, regular season MVP twice and has two Olympic gold medals—she still yearns for more.
And the accomplishments are rolling in this summer. She’ll be the first woman to appear on the cover of the videogame NBA 2K, and her commentary will be featured during gameplay modes as well. She’s starting a parenthood podcast next week on raising her daughter while rising through the ranks of the WNBA. And she’s got a spot on the “NBA on TNT Tuesday Night" schedule next to Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and other basketball greats.
Parker sat down with GQ to discuss balancing motherhood and professional athletics, what it’s like arguing with Shaq on primetime television and how Team USA’s women’s basketball team has snubbed too many players from the Olympic roster.
GQ: What did you think of the NBA Finals?
Candace Parker: I am just so happy for Giannis. Everyone had their hot take, everyone had their opinion. They did the same thing with Steph. Remember that? People saying, “There’s no way you can win like that!” And then somebody comes in and redefines the way that we think about how we can play basketball. That’s what Giannis is doing. Seven foot, being able to do what he did: scoring 50, putting up 14 and 6?! Come on, man.
That’s one of the best Finals performances I’ve ever seen.
And I’m from Chicago! That’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. [Michael] Jordan had a fifty piece and he impacted the game clearly, but, that one? Come on.
Do you think we can finally retire all the tropes about Giannis? Like the things James Harden said about him? Is it time to get rid of that?
Yes and no. I think results do define legacy for some people. But at the same time: when you do it again? That’s different. People can still talk junk right now. Kawhi [Leonard] messed up his knee and he was out and the Clippers lost. Giannis messed up his knee and I don’t know how he came back from that. Every doctor I talked to said that’s a [torn] ACL and he should be done, yet he comes back and wins the championship. But is he a different player? He’s not different! He’s still doing the same thing! For now, it's alright. But Brooklyn, man? Brooklyn’s waiting next year.
You’re the first woman on the cover of NBA 2K. That’s historic. What does it mean to you?
It means a lot. Growing up, I was always trying to do what my brothers did. So, I grew up on the sticks: playing FIFA, NBA Jam, NBA Street, I was playing everything. I remember when Anthony, my brother, got drafted in 1997 and the video game came out and I remember seeing his character and how excited we got. The kid in me is really excited. You grow up wanting to be on or in a video game, wanting to have a shoe, wanting to drink Gatorade, wanting to have a commercial. Sometimes you really got to take it in and really reflect about it.
Professional athletes, like the rest of us, grow up playing these video games. Was this a goal for you?
I always said when I started playing I wanted to redefine the way people thought about women and sports. I grew up in a household where my parents told me I could have a signature shoe. It wasn’t like “oh, not many women have a shoe and maybe, possibly you could do it.” No. They said, “You’re a basketball player. You can have a basketball shoe.” It’s really important for companies to continue to invest and empower women. There’s so many deserving basketball players before me but there wasn’t the opportunity. Think about if Cheryl Miller she grew up in this era.
Does this help the visibility of the WNBA or women playing ball around the world?
We’re seeing that it’s so much more than basketball: when you watch a game people are looking at sneakers, at stores, at endorsements, what you’re wearing to the game, where you went on vacation. You wanna be like your favorite player. Now, the reason why basketball and the NBA is such a globalized game is because of social media. You’re able to get involved with the athlete. If you’re not in a video game, you’re not certified. 2K putting WNBA in the game and allowing people to grow up and see that is important. And we’re going to continue to push that. To be on the cover of 2K as an athlete is great, but to be commentating on the game as well is super important. You need to hear female voices in sports just as much as you need to hear men.
On the opposing side, I saw one comment on Twitter from a guy who told you that only “six people are buying this game for her” and you told him that’s the number of people listening to his podcast. How do you feel about that, are you expecting those comments at this point?
I don’t pay attention a lot of the time. I’ll have time occasionally and that’s when I’ll hit Jonathan with a one liner. For me, I feel sorry for people. I’m cool with someone not liking me as a basketball player, or somebody not liking me as a commentator, but when you bring race and me being a woman into it, I think that’s when we have a problem. A lot of the time I don’t address it and use my actions and let them speak for themselves. I’m not all the way there with Michelle Obama’s “they go low, we go higher” [idea].
I ain’t there, either.
I’m not there yet: sometimes you gotta let some people know about themselves. I’m cool with criticism, but when the first thing you say is about me being a woman or Black, that’s when I have an issue.
It’s wild you slandered him for his podcast though, because don’t you have one coming out this month about parenthood?
I’m so excited: It’s called Moments With Candace Parker. I think my biggest joy, my biggest reason and inspiration that I have tatted on my arm is my daughter, Lailaa. She has taught me more about this world than anybody. I think that as parents we have to share, we have to talk. The two people that can really humble you are your parents and your kids. Your kids do not care who you are and what you do, and this podcast will just be talking to parents about their different experiences. That goes from professional athletes and entertainers to normal, everyday moms. We’ll talk about money and kids, talk about relationships and kids and it’s been a lot of fun and I hope it’ll be really cool for parents to relate to.
What have been some of your interesting moments about being a mother and a professional athlete at the same time?
I found out I was pregnant at the end of my rookie season. I accepted the WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year trophies pregnant. My daughter and I have grown up together and that’s been my experience as a professional athlete. I was met with so much [disdain]. Thirteen years ago, a lot of people were like, “You’re going to have a child? Your career is over.” You know? The way that I was met versus the way my brother had kids and people thought it was cool or when I’m on the road and people ask me “Who’s watching Lailaa?” But they don’t ask LeBron [James] those questions. My daughter has taught me so much about the world and how much farther we have to go. Through the wins and the losses she’s always been there. She’s the world outside of sport. I worry if I didn’t have her, my entire life would be about basketball. But, because I have her, there’s so many more reasons to get up in the morning.
You’ve talked a lot about post-sports and motherhood impacting you. Do you ever fear slowing down?
Sport has prepared me for it, if anything...As long as I can have that excitement, I’ll be okay. I want to be a part of basketball in some capacity: whether it’s on the ownership side or commentating on television, I always want to be a part of the game. I feel like the game has given me so much, it would be a disservice if I took it and walked away.
And you’ve become a sterling broadcaster and commentator at Turner Sports. What are your goals in terms of analyzing the game?
I wasn’t working the NBA Finals, but I was watching it. I’m a fan of basketball, I’m a historian of basketball. I was raised in gyms at my brother’s AAU tournaments. I’ve been around the game forever and I truly enjoy it, which means I’ll work for it. I think growing up in the family I did, it prepared me for TNT. Literally all we do is talk shit, all the time. All we did was debate, and this was without Google. We couldn’t look up numbers, we had to go off memory. That’s how it was all the time at our dinner table, which makes it a perfect storm at TNT. All we do is argue takes. Shaq will say something, and I don’t even have to look at Google, you’re just wrong [laughs].
The most viral clips we usually see are you and Shaq arguing. How do you view those exchanges?
I think it’s really funny because we always have those exchanges whether it’s in front of the camera or not. We’re always yelling back and forth. He laughs about me bullying him but I just tell him the truth. I tell him what I think and vice versa. I think it’s good for television, but it’s authentic. This isn’t a debate team. It happens organically. He hit me up the other day trying to argue something and I didn’t even have time for that.
It’s like arguing with your uncle.
You just goin’ in circles. Sometimes I have time, but I don’t have time today Shaq!
Being a commentator opens you up to a wider variety of things you can discuss. In June you said Nneka Ogwumike not getting selected for Team USA at the Olympics was “bullshit.” What did you think was bullshit exactly?
The example I always use is: what if it was an NBA player? What if it was on the men’s side? Sometimes in women’s basketball we want everything the men have—the money, the endorsements, etc—but we don’t want the scrutiny that comes with it. We don’t want to turn on First Take and see them talk about something off the court. Unfortunately, Team USA isn’t going to receive that type of scrutiny because it is women’s basketball.
Any time you are an MVP in a world championship game two years ago and you’re an MVP in the WNBA and you’re left off a team? It would never happen in the NBA. You can’t even say it’s a position problem because Team USA in 2008 had Kobe, Carmelo, LeBron, Kevin Durant all on the court at the same time. The way basketball is played now, there’s no excuse to say the position doesn’t fit. So, it is bullshit.
Didn’t you want to play Olympic basketball longer? Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird are on the team, so did you have ambitions for another gold medal? Or did you bow out early?
In 2016 when I was left off the team similarly to Nneka, that was it. I’m not teaching my daughter certain things, if she’s in a relationship or situation where something or someone doesn’t treat her right, how do I teach her to leave those things alone if I go back? I’m past it. It’s 2021. I’ve moved on. I’ve done pretty well up until this point. But at the same time: it would’ve been nice. Who doesn’t dream of being in the Olympics? I’ve already experienced that, but there are some who’ve been left off the team who haven’t had the experience and I don’t think that’s right.
You’ve accomplished seemingly everything a basketball player can accomplish. In that space the W has come a very long way, but what still needs to be done?
I’m not the bozo who says “Yo LeBron makes 30 million and women should!” Listen, I’m a realist. I understand how capitalism works. But, I also understand how investment works. Scared money doesn’t make money. To see how something truly works you need to invest in it: that means time, money, energy, endorsements and picking up the phone. I think this CBA puts us in the right direction of properly holding some of these organizations accountable.
But, also, this is not a charity. We need to be smarter in the way we need to invest. We have to have people who are serious about investing. I talked to the owner of the Las Vegas Aces when we were there for All Star, and I said to him that I really valued the way he’s properly investing—putting on an All Star game that’s great for us and the fans and going out to these companies that want to invest in women. That is what is super important.
What keeps you ambitious now? How do you keep up the grind of staying one of the best?
I’m so competitive. I’m 35 years old and I have these 22 year olds who I don’t know if they remember me in my prime. Now, it’s playing a different game. Chess instead of checkers. That keeps me motivated, that keeps me hungry. My daughter is 12 and she's gonna remember this moment and how I prepare. And the preparation for it does get harder. It’s never the games. I’ll tell you: I’ll never cheat the game. When my time is done, I’ll walk away. Because it’s not fun to lose to people you know you can beat. It’s not fun anymore to think how I would kill these people if I was younger. That’s my motivation now: [to show up] these young bucks comin’ in. You gotta let ‘em know.
