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Parker Says Dunking Just Tops Off Game

By DAVE HOLLANDER,
AOL
Posted: 2008-07-09 20:11:08
Filed Under: Sports, NBA
Is she that good? At 6-foot-4 and able to play any position on the floor, she just might be. Candace Parker already has two NCAA basketball championships (2007, 2008) under her belt, but if she can turn around the L.A. Sparks and win a gold medal in Beijing she could get the women’s hoop trifecta in one year. Here the WNBA player everyone’s talking about talks to us about what the dunk means to her, why her family can take your family and how she’s pro-choice when it comes to Becky Hammon.

DAVE HOLLANDER: What’s the big deal about a woman dunking?
CANDACE PARKER: A lot of people don’t see a lot of women dunk, so when they do, it’s a big deal. With the evolution of our sport, more and more women are going to do so. It’s just gonna grow our game, I think. It’s a fun and exciting thing for the fans.


DH: If you could, would you dunk all the time?
CP: I don’t feel like dunking is the biggest part of my game. I don’t think dunking is what makes me, me. Dunking is kind of like the whipped cream on the ice cream. You don’t necessarily need it but it’s a nice little topping. That’s the way I look at it.

DH: So on a scale from one to 10, 10 being the most important thing in the game of basketball and 1 being the least important, where does dunking rank for you?
CP: That’s a tough question. Because I think it’s not very important (pauses) … I give it a five. It’s important because it’s brings excitement to the fan, but in the big scheme of things it’s two points.

DH: Can you palm the ball?
CP: I can palm a men’s and a women’s ball.

DH: Your brother Anthony Parker plays for the NBA's Toronto Raptors and you are engaged to the Sacramento Kings’ Shelden Williams. What’s a Thanksgiving pick-up game like at your house?
CP: (heh, heh) We actually haven’t all had a chance to really go out and play. And with our schedules when we go on vacation, it’s a vacation away from work and basketball. It’s gonna be hilarious as years go on, with them having kids and us having kids, eventually playing with entire families. But you know I have two brothers. So we talked about me and Shel playing those two and I think it would definitely be a game (laughing) -- a game in our favor.

DH: In the siblings department, tell me straight up who wins this two-on-two: You and your brother vs. Cheryl Miller and Reggie Miller?
CP: I think we got the upper hand. It would definitely be a high scoring game. But I think we have the upper hand. Anthony and Reggie? Anthony was a great shooter as well. And me and Cheryl? It’s a great matchup. But we come out on top.

DH: What about you, your brothers and your fiancée versus the whole Catchings family?
CP: We definitely win! Who would handle Shel down low?

DH: Tamika?
CP: No way!



DH: In the first verse of "Starter" on the Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams album, Streetlife raps about his admiration for you. When did you first hear that and how did it feel?
CP: It was only a couple months ago. FSN did a story on me and they showed me the verse. It was cool because you always dream of being in a rap song.

DH: That was always a dream of yours?
CP: I mean, it’s cool when somebody says something about you in a verse and compares you to something and talks about you. It’s a great honor to be talked about in a song, period.

DH: Since that first taste of the entertainment biz, has LA gotten you all Hollywood?
CP: Definitely not! I refuse to be considered Hollywood. I’ve changed a little bit. I’m a sushi fiend now. I eat sushi probably twice a week. I did pull out a pair of Vans last week. So I guess in a way I am little bit Cali. But I haven’t gone to the shorts and Tims or big winter jackets in the summer.

DH: You’re not wearing a Spanx to every occasion?
CP: Noooo! I haven’t yet. (laughing)

DH: People Magazine put you on their 100 Most Beautiful People list. Who was ahead of you and who was right behind you?
CP: I don’t know that. Who was it?

DH: I don’t know either. But you are playing in the Olympics this year so I need to ask you something: To your knowledge, has Becky Hammon ever been or is she now a member of the communist party?
CP: (snickers) You know, I think that it’s your personal decision – your personal choice to play for another country. I’ve tried to stay neutral. I’m happy to be playing for the United States. I guess she thought the best opportunity for her was to play for Russia. I’m happy she’s able to do that -- make her own choice, make her own decision. I wish her the best in the Olympics.

DH: You don’t see her as a “traitor” or “unpatriotic” like Anne Donavan does?
CP: I don’t really have an opinion on it. I feel like she’s a great player for the WNBA. She chose to play for the Russian national team and that’s her own choice. Players have done it. She’s one of the first in the WNBA to have done it but coaches do it all the time. I kinda just think it’s up to the person.

DH: Hammon was runner-up in the WNBA MVP voting last year but wasn’t on the original 23-player list invited to try out for Team USA. How can that be?
CP: You know, I’ve played USA Basketball since I was 17 years old. They take a pool (of players) and you play from a young age. They pick and it’s a tough process. I think maybe she wanted to go to Russia and play and have a better opportunity.


DH: WNBA fans might’ve allowed her to make a different choice. Did you know that Hammon's jersey trails only yours in sales? What if the selection process was a popularity contest?
CP: I think it’s indicative of how the player plays as well. Coming into the WNBA there’s a lot of excitement surrounding me because of what I did in college, winning the national championship and stuff like that. For her to have the number two-selling jersey in the WNBA is definitely really cool, because she’s been in the league for a while. For her to still have the same high interest that she has from fans it really speaks volumes about how good she is as a player and how much fun she is to watch.

DH: Sometimes it comes down to money. Becky Hammon makes the maximum WNBA salary, about $95,000. Her Russian team pays her six times that much. Will you be playing in overseas this winter?
CP: I will be weighing my options. … Probably.

Dave Hollander is the author of 52 WEEKS: Interviews with Champions! and blogs for The Huffington Post. Info at: www.davehollander.com

2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2008-07-08 18:13:08


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