Final
Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks
135 – 117
2026-27 · Preseason · Preseason
Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 7:43 pm EDTWNBA legend. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Biography, honors and career statistics below.
Candace Parker
Career at a glance
Candace Parker played 16 WNBA regular seasons between 2008 and 2023, appearing in 410 games and averaging 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. She played for 3 teams: Los Angeles (2008–2020, 337 games), Chicago (2021–2022, 55 games), Las Vegas (2023, 18 games). Her best scoring season was 2014 with Los Angeles: 19.4 points per game over 30 games.
She rebounded best in 2009 at 9.8 per game. Championship seasons: 2016 (Los Angeles), 2021 (Chicago), 2023 (Las Vegas). In the playoffs she appeared in 13 postseason runs (66 games, 17.4 points per game).
Multiplying each season’s games by its scoring average gives roughly 6,600 regular-season points (an estimate from per-game figures, not an official total).
whynba analysis of the season-by-season statistics below (Wikipedia revision, CC BY-SA 4.0). Totals are estimates from per-game averages.
About Candace Parker
Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986), nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team. Parker is credited with growing the popularity of women's basketball. In June 2026, she was inducted into the Women Basketball Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2026.
A versatile player, Parker mainly played the forward and center positions. In high school, Parker won the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year awards, becoming just the second junior and the only woman to receive a Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award twice. Parker played college basketball for the Tennessee Lady Vols, she led the team to two consecutive national championships (2007, 2008), was named the Final Four's most outstanding player in both occasions and was a two-time consensus national player of the year. As a redshirt freshman, she became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game. After being selected in the WNBA Draft, Parker signed long-term endorsement deals with Adidas and Gatorade.
In 2016, Parker led the Sparks to win their first WNBA Finals title since 2002 and won the WNBA Finals MVP Award. In 2021, she helped the Sky win their first title. She won her third title in 2023 with the Aces. Parker won two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2008, 2013), a WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award (2013), two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2008). She was selected to six All-WNBA teams and five All-Star teams, and was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards in the same season. Parker became the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008.
- Born
- April 19, 1986 (age 40) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
- Listed height
- 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
- Listed weight
- 184 lb (83 kg)
- Position
- Power forward
- High school
- Naperville Central (Naperville, Illinois)
- College
- Tennessee (2004–2008)
- WNBA draft
- 2008: 1st round, 1st overall pick
- Playing career
- 2008–2023
Career highlights and awards
- 3× WNBA champion (2016, 2021, 2023)
- WNBA Finals MVP (2016)
- 2× WNBA MVP (2008, 2013)
- 7× WNBA All-Star (2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022)
- WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2013)
- 7× All-WNBA First Team (2008, 2012–2014, 2017, 2020, 2022)
- 3× All-WNBA Second Team (2009, 2015, 2018)
- 2× WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2009, 2012)
- WNBA Rookie of the Year (2008)
- WNBA All-Rookie Team (2008)
- WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2020)
- WNBA assists leader (2015)
- 3× WNBA rebounding leader (2008, 2009, 2020)
- 2× WNBA blocks leader (2009, 2012)
- 3× WNBA peak performer (2008, 2009, 2020)
- WNBA anniversary teams (20th, 25th)
- No. 3 retired by Los Angeles Sparks
- No. 3 retired by Chicago Sky
- 5× Russian National League champion (2011–2015)
- 4× Russian Cup winner (2011–2014)
- EuroLeague champion (2013)
- 2× NCAA champion (2007, 2008)
- 2× NCAA Tournament MOP (2007, 2008)
- 2× AP Female Athlete of the Year (2008, 2021)
- AP Player of the Year (2008)
- 2× USBWA Player of the Year (2007, 2008)
- Naismith College Player of the Year (2008)
- Women's Basketball Academic All-American of the Year (2008)
- 2× John R. Wooden Award (2007, 2008)
- Wade Trophy (2007)
- 2× Honda Sports Award for basketball (2007, 2008)
- Honda-Broderick Cup (2008)
- 3× All-American – Kodak/State Farm Coaches', USBWA (2006–2008)
- 2× First-team All-American – AP (2007, 2008)
- Second-team All-American – AP (2006)
- SEC Female Athlete of the Year (2008)
- SEC Player of the Year (2007)
- 2× SEC Tournament MVP (2006, 2008)
- 3× First-team All-SEC (2006–2008)
- SEC Freshman of the Year (2006)
Career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Los Angeles | 33 | 33 | 33.6 | .523 | .423 | .733 | 9.5° | 3.4 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 18.5 |
| 2009 | Los Angeles | 25 | 24 | 32.6 | .485 | .208 | .763 | 9.8° | 2.6 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 13.1 |
| 2010 | Los Angeles | 10 | 10 | 33.5 | .500 | .250 | .732 | 10.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 20.6 |
| 2011 | Los Angeles | 17 | 16 | 32.6 | .511 | .419 | .736 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 18.5 |
| 2012 | Los Angeles | 33 | 33 | 30.7 | .481 | .322 | .710 | 9.7 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 2.3° | 17.4 |
| 2013 | Los Angeles | 31 | 31 | 28.7 | .493 | .257 | .762 | 8.7 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 17.9 |
| 2014 | Los Angeles | 30 | 29 | 33.2 | .469 | .306 | .846 | 7.1 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 19.4 |
| 2015 | Los Angeles | 16 | 16 | 34.4 | .489 | .279 | .815 | 10.1° | 6.3° | 1.9 | 1.8 | 19.4 |
| 2016† | Los Angeles | 34 | 34 | 30.8 | .442 | .382 | .707 | 7.4 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 15.3 |
| 2017 | Los Angeles | 33 | 33 | 30.5 | .478 | .354 | .756 | 8.4 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 16.9 |
| 2018 | Los Angeles | 31 | 30 | 30.6 | .471 | .345 | .808 | 8.2 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 17.9 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles | 22 | 22 | 26.0 | .422 | .267 | .791 | 6.4 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 11.2 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 22 | 22 | 30.0 | .510 | .396 | .731 | 9.7° | 4.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 14.7 |
| 2021† | Chicago | 23 | 23 | 26.7 | .458 | .329 | .794 | 8.4 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 13.3 |
| 2022 | Chicago | 32 | 32 | 28.3 | .458 | .311 | .816 | 8.6 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 13.2 |
| 2023† | Las Vegas | 18 | 18 | 23.6 | .465 | .333 | .893 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 9.0 |
| Career | 16 years, 3 teams | 410 | 406 | 30.4 | .479 | .333 | .767 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 16.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Los Angeles | 6 | 6 | 36.5 | .459 | .000 | .759 | 9.8° | 3.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 15.0 |
| 2009 | Los Angeles | 6 | 6 | 35.2 | .535 | .250 | .705 | 10.7° | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 18.0 |
| 2012 | Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | 36.0 | .573 | .500 | .875 | 11.0° | 4.3 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 28.8° |
| 2013 | Los Angeles | 3 | 3 | 37.3 | .542 | .000 | .684 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 25.7° |
| 2014 | Los Angeles | 2 | 2 | 36.5 | .543 | .250 | .444 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 21.5 |
| 2015 | Los Angeles | 3 | 3 | 38.3 | .418 | .389 | .842 | 10.7° | 4.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 23.0 |
| 2016† | Los Angeles | 9 | 9 | 33.0 | .469 | .313 | .778 | 8.7 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 19.3 |
| 2017 | Los Angeles | 8 | 8 | 34.1 | .426 | .243 | .895 | 9.1 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 16.9 |
| 2018 | Los Angeles | 2 | 2 | 30.5 | .364 | .250 | 1.000 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 2.5° | 0.0 | 9.0 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles | 4 | 4 | 23.6 | .545 | .333 | .333 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.5 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles | 1 | 1 | 40.0° | .462 | .500 | .900 | 14.0° | 5.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 22.0 |
| 2021† | Chicago | 10 | 10 | 32.4 | .491 | .333 | .895 | 8.4 | 4.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 13.8 |
| 2022 | Chicago | 8 | 8 | 29.4 | .438 | .333 | .759 | 10.8° | 4.6 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 14.8 |
| Career | 14 years, 3 teams | 66 | 66 | 33.3 | .481 | .304 | .777 | 9.2 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 17.4 |
Per-game averages. † won a WNBA championship · * led the league · ‡ WNBA record (as marked).
Profile observation date unavailable.
- Height
- 6′ 4″
- Weight
- 184 lb
- Position
- Power forward
- Jersey
- Not listed
- Country
- USA
- School / last affiliation
- Not listed
- Draft year
- 2008
- Draft pick
- Round 1 · Pick 1
Height, Weight, Position, Country, Draft year, Draft pick: no official profile fields are saved for this WNBA player; filled from the Wikipedia infobox credited in the About section above.
Roster observations
These dates show when our saved NBA directory observations listed this player with a team. They are not signing, trade or contract dates, and this is not a complete career history.
No roster observations are stored for this player. Historical profile details above do not establish a current team assignment.
Profile source
Biographical fields reflect the saved official profile at the check time shown above. Team assignments use the dated directory evidence in Roster observations. Offseason rosters and jersey numbers can change.
View the official WNBA player profile ↗