University of Tennessee Athletics
Parker Joins List of UT's WNBA Champs
October 21, 2016 | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS -- Tennessee alum Candace Parker scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds Thursday night to help the Los Angeles Sparks capture the 2016 WNBA Finals with a 77-76 game-five victory over the Minnesota Lynx in front of a crowd of 19,423 at Target Center.
Parker, tasting victory in her first-ever WNBA Finals appearance, became the second Lady Vol product in the 20-year history of the league to earn MVP honors for the event. She follows in the footsteps of 2012 winner Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever.
With NCAA Championships (2007 and 2008) and Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012) already collected, Parker added the elusive WNBA crown to her trophy case. Her victory brings the total to seven different Lady Vols who have won a combined nine WNBA titles.
Previous winners include Tiffany Woosley (1997 & 1998 Houston Comets), Tiffani Johnson (2000 Houston Comets), Kara Lawson (2005 Sacramento Monarchs), Alexis Hornbuckle (2008 Detroit Shock & 2011 Minnesota Lynx), Ashley Robinson (2010 Seattle Storm) and Catchings (2012, Indiana Fever).
All seven players were recruited or coached by Holly Warlick, or both, during her time as an assistant at Tennessee.
In all, 42 UT players have seen action in the WNBA, including 37 draft picks and 16 first-round selections. During Warlick's first four years as head coach (2012-16), six Lady Vols have been drafted, including 2016 second-round choice, Bashaara Graves.
