May 24, 2022
Candace Parker named to the 2022 TIME 100 list of most influential people
A day after she became the oldest player ever to record a triple-double in WNBA history, the accolades continue to roll in for the Chicago Sky’s Candace Parker as she was named to the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in 2022.
A day after she became the oldest player ever to record a triple-double in WNBA history, the accolades continue to roll in for the Chicago Sky’s Candace Parker as she was named to the TIME 100 list of the most influential people in 2022.
Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP and six-time All-Star, was included in the “Pioneer” category. She was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks where she played 13 seasons and won numerous awards, including the 2008 Rookie of the Year, the 2008 and 2013 MVP, the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year and a WNBA championship. She signed with the Chicago Sky, her hometown team, in 2021, and brought home a championship trophy in her first year with the franchise.
Off the court, Parker has been a commentator and analyst for TNT and NBA TV since 2018. She is also part of the ownership group of the National Women’s Soccer League’s latest expansion team, Angel City F.C.
Three-time NBA champion and Chicago native Dwayne Wade wrote Parker’s entry for TIME.
“Her commitment is unparalleled, as are her insights: through her work as an NBA commentator, she always offers me a different way to think about the game,” wrote Wade. “She is inspiring not only to the next generation of players but also to all young people, and she uses her platform with incredible intent.”
“So many young women watching Candace are seeing how she’s living out loud and achieving greatness. Her legend is only growing,” Wade added.
Parker has used her platform to promote both gender and racial equality. She is currently producing a documentary about how Title IX has advanced gender equality in sports across the U.S.
In her TIME 100 video, Parker remembers watching Shaquille O'Neal and Wade growing up — former players she now works with on TNT. She also talked about her coming out in 2021, something she said she was against before because she felt no one should have to in this day and age. She is a mother to a 13-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son.
Parker is playing in the last season of her contract with the Chicago Sky as she pursues her third WNBA title. She and her teammates will be presented with their rings for last season's championship before their upcoming game at home against the Indiana Fever.