Candace Parker, the standout Lady Vol from the University of Tennessee, wears many hats. After leading the Lady Vols to a second straight national championship in women’s basketball, she was the first pick in the WNBA draft, took the league’s MVP and rookie of the year awards and helped the United States win a fourth-straight Olympic gold medal. 2008 was a huge year for Parker. She earned the titles of all-time leader in blocked shots, free throws made and free throws attempted, became the fourth 2,000-point scorer in UT history (2,137) and finished her college career with a streak of 44 double-digit scoring games. She also graduated in May with a 3.35 gpa in sports management and was named CoSIDA Academic All-American, AP Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy Winner, NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player, John R. Wooden Award winner, Basketball Honda Sports Award Winner, NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player, ESPN.com Player of the Year, Honda-Broderick Cup winner, SEC Female Athlete of the Year, Kodak All-American, SEC Tournament MVP, BET Female Athlete of the Year and Best Female Athlete ESPY Award winner. Just after the NCAA victory, Parker was selected as the first pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks where she has broken record after record including a rookie debut performance of 34 points, Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player for the 2008 WNBA season – the first WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in the same season.
