By Dave Ford

She proudly displays a tattoo on her left wrist that reads, “To whom much is given, much is expected,”— a heavy reminder of what the world of sports constantly demands.

With the University of Tennessee now in her rearview mirror, the future for Candace Parker is brighter than any one of us, and maybe even she can imagine, or at the very least, expect.

Having made her final appearance in Knoxville on May 9 to pick up her diploma for Sport Management, Parker will no longer be a fixture on the UT campus. She will now team up with Lisa Leslie, her idol, as they  embark on a journey to return the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks to greatness.

But before she caught a flight to an exhibition game that night, one of the most popular players in Lady Vol history, along with a woman who has become a central figure in her life, took time out to discuss her past, present and possible future.

“She’s been a great example of how you can compete and take on responsibility, and there’s not many players that have her skill set, but at the same time, be as driven to succeed and also be unselfish,” said Lady Vols head coach Pat Summitt. “There’s a great upside to the impact that she can have on the game of basketball, but also as a role  model. Candace has the complete package.”

Parker said her life has been a blur since she and her teammates won their second consecutive national championship, not to mention less than 24 hours later she became the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 WNBA Draft.

When asked if she’s had a moment of silence to reflect on what’s recently happened in her life she said, “I have not, I have not. I keep a journal and I’m caught up until right before the draft. After we won the championship, that’s when I have to start writing again. I have a lot to write about.

“It was an amazing feeling to be honest with you. One of the two best things happening to me in my life within a 15-hour time period - it was just amazing. You know, I think looking back I’ll have time to reflect on it, but as of right now I’m just living it. I guess I’ll go back and look at pictures later.”

With a schedule as demanding and unforgiving as the one Parker has kept and will maintain for the forseeable future, some players in the same situation have fallen victim to burnout and shortened careers.

For example, after leading the Lady Vols to the first three-peat in women’s college basketball history from 1996-98,  Chamique Holdsclaw was taken No. 1 overall in 1999 by the Washington Mystics. She then became a perennial all-star and was expected to win several titles before it was all said and done.

It all ended for Holdsclaw last summer when she decided to walk away from the game citing symptoms of burnout and depression, along with the death of her grandmother, who had been her best friend and mentor. The former Rocky Top superstar left the game without a single WNBA title, and at the height of her career, left the Sparks, who brought her back into the league after a stint in Europe and were already without Leslie due to maternity leave, in shambles.

But Summitt said she’s not concerned that Parker will meet the same fate.

“I don’t see that with Candace right now, she’s been prepared for the life, she’s got good family support there ... I think she’s got it all together,” she said. “I do think it’s important  that Candace have people around her to protect her at times so that she doesn’t feel like that she’s being pulled on daily, that’s difficult.”

Summitt added that she and her coaching staff did their best to prepare Parker for the intensity and tight deadlines that come along with the limelight of big time college basketball as well as the professional game.

“We really tried to protect Candace,” said Summitt. “There were times when I didn’t want her to go to every press conference. I wanted to give her a break along the way. I wanted her to be mindful of when it was appropriate to do autographs and she needed her space.”

From a marketing standpoint, Parker has already made a huge impact for the Sparks as well as the league. Since she was drafted, season ticket sales for Los Angeles increased by seven times compared to the previous year in which the team finished 10-24, and her No. 3 Sparks jersey has already sold more than any rookie in league history.

“Obviously going to the pros she’s going to have a tremendous impact there,” said Summitt. “I know they’re already talking about how many jerseys they’re selling. But that’s the kind of person she is and she understands what goes along with it—it’s not easy.”

What also won’t be easy for Parker will be the fact she’ll never play a home game again in front of all the Lady Vol fans that she has grown to appreciate.

“I’m going to miss playing in front of these fans, playing in Thompson-Boling Arena filled with orange,” she said.
However, Parker also said she’s excited to get a fresh start in a new city with a new team.

“I feel like the city has really embraced us and it’s excited about the Sparks winning,” she said.

Not only will Parker be playing in one of the biggest markets in the country, but she’ll also take the court alongside her idol and women’s basketball icon, Lisa Leslie. And so far, Parker said the relationship between the two of them  couldn’t be better.

“Great chemistry on and off the court,” she said. “We are women that can separate on and off the court, so if I like you, we’re still going to play the same—if I don’t like you, we’re still going to play the same. She’s shown me the ropes, she’s shown me different back streets to get to practice, she and her husband came over to play cards with me and my fiancee’ (Shelden Williams-member of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings). We’re closer than I ever thought we could be.”

Closeness is something Summitt and Parker share. Both personalities, although larger than life in their own right, needed each other to reach the recent success they’ve enjoyed.

“Candace had a lot of choices of where she could’ve gone to college and I just thanked her for choosing Tennessee and giving us the opportunity to have her in our family,” said Summitt. “I thanked her for believing in me to be her coach at Tennessee, and she loves this place. I think this past year she realized how special Tennessee was and has been for her throughout her career.

“She knows I will be in her life as long as she needs me, forever I hope. I told her, ‘I’m a phone call away and I want to help you.’ So, I look forward to watching her play.”

More than anything else she can remember, Parker said she’ll apply a certain principle taught to her by Summitt.

“You may have a lot of talent, you may have God given ability, but if you outwork your counterpart you’ll go way further in life than you normally would have,” said Parker. “I think people look at Coach Summitt and say, ‘Oh, you’ve acquired so much success,’ but she’s done that by working hard. I mean, she’s a model for that.”

And while some athletes get squeamish when asked if they’re attempting to be the best ever in their respective sport, Parker didn’t hesitate.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t,” she said calmly. “That’s got to be in your mind every day. Coming into this league I want to make a huge impact and that would obviously be a goal I work toward every day.”
Parker may now be wearing purple and gold on the outside, but she’ll always be wearing orange and white on the inside.