Candace Parker didn't pick up a basketball with aspirations of on day joining the hall of fame. The Lady Vols legend's career started at a park near her home in Naperville, Illinois, where she spent hours playing with her two older brothers, who were her heroes. Parker fell in love with the game, which took her all over the world. But when she looks back on her career, the places that stick out in her mind aren't the flashy arenas or the championship parades routes. It's that park or the fitness center in Naperville where she first dunked, and Stokely Athletic Center, where she got in extra work before Tennessee's new practice facility was opened her senior year. Parker may not have dreamed of being a first-ballot hall of famer, but she looked up in the rafters every day with the Lady Vols, determined to hang more banners and the rest would take care of itself. It arrived for Parker with her second hall of fame induction in less than three months. Parker was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 15 at Symphony Hall in in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June, entering both in her first year of eligibility.
Parker was joined by Lady Vols great Chamique Holdsclaw in the 2026 class. If legendary coach Pat Summitt was alive to attend the ceremony, Parker said she knows she'd be on stage for both of them. "I’ll be honest, going in a class with (Holdsclaw), I think Pat’s definitely smiling down," Parker said. "I think she’d definitely be super proud." Parker hung two national championship banners before playing 16 seasons in the WNBA, building a resume that won't easily be replicated. She's still the only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. She won three WNBA titles and a second MVP, along with Finals MVP when she led the Los Angeles Sparks to a title in 2016. Parker overcame 10 knee surgeries in her career. After she gave birth to her daughter Lailaa in 2009, she suffered a string of injuries that limited her during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. But that struggle, and all the "almost-wins" the Sparks had made her first WNBA championship all the more gratifying. "To almost not win in 2016, that was crazy to finally get over the hump. I remember when Nneka (Ogwumike) tipped it in and there was no celebration because I was like, we could lose," Parker said. "So I'm like, we gon' do everything we can. And I did not exhale until Lindsay (Whalen's) half-court shot hit the ground off the backboard." In Parker's speech, she recounted the famous story of Summitt kicking her out of practice because she wasn't exerting enough effort with her offensive rebounding. Parker came back determined to beat Summitt to the gym the next morning and get a workout in before her coach got there – but Summitt's light was already on. "We won off an offensive rebound (in 2016). It turns out Pat was, in fact, right – offensive rebounds do matter," Parker said. While Parker's incredible playing days are over, she's ready to pass the torch to her two sons, Airr and Hartt. "My oldest son was like, 'You played basketball?' And I’m like, 'Yeah, I did. I did play basketball.' So it was just crazy to be able to share this with them," the 40-year-old Parker said. "I’m in the midst of brainwashing both of my sons to play, so one of them will be here. One of them will be in Springfield at one point." Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women's athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols great Candace Parker's journey to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame