‘There is nobody like her’ — Lady Vols legend Candace Parker joined basketball royalty, and she tipped her hat to Pat Summitt
The Tennessee basketball legend reached the pinnacle of basketball on Saturday night, and she paid tribute to her former head coach.
Candace Parker is one of the greatest athletes regardless of gender or sport in the history of the University of Tennessee.
And after making history at the college and professional level in basketball, her name is now memorialized in a very fitting place.
Parker was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Knoxville, just walking distance from the stadium where she delivered two national championships for the Lady Vols.
Summitt showed love for Pat Summitt during her induction speech
And among all the recognition she gave out in her induction speech, including her parents, grandparents, siblings, and children, she gave a moving nod to her head coach, Pat Summitt.
“Since (Summitt) would be the first to tell you that I was not the best listener while I played at the University of Tennessee, this is a tangible expression that I was watching and I was indeed paying attention, even if I liked to test boundaries a little bit and I’m stubborn and hardheaded,” Parker said.
“But my continued desire to imitate Pat, and how she attacked life every day, proves why there is nobody like her. There are no amount of words or stories that can express the impact that she’s had on my life … Pat was one of one. A giant of all giants. And though gone ten years tomorrow, she’s still leaving a lasting impact that we all can and should draw on.”
Parker was the driving force that helped deliver the last two national championships for Summitt in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, which also happened to be the last to date for the program. She led the SEC in scoring and blocked shots both seasons, earning the Wooden Award and back-to-back first team All-American honors, in addition to the 2007-8 AP Player of the Year award.
Parker delivered a generational pro career as well for the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, and Las Vegas Aces, where she won three WNBA titles. She finished as a two-time WNBA MVP, 2016 WNBA Finals MVP, and seven-time All-Star. She also helped Team USA win gold at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Parker and Summitt carved an unforgettable legacy in women’s basketball in their own way, and it’s fitting that both women will now have their names etched in the sport’s history in the same place in Knoxville.