When Candace Parker was a junior at Naperville Central, I took over the girls basketball beat. That season provided quite an introduction for me to the girls game and how it was changing. Parker was one such player who acted as a catalyst for that change, packing gyms wherever Naperville Central played and winning the first of two state titles. Her coach Andy Nussbaum always said that she would be one of the best players ever, and he was right.
On the eve of Parker’s return to Chicago as a professional, I was able to talk to WNBA president Donna Orender about the league’s plans for expansion and how Parker is sparking change in the WNBA.
Orender said she thinks Parker is so popular because she is a 6-4 player who can easily play all the positions on the floor, and she has a charisma that attracts fans.
Orender also mentioned that the league is perpetually looking to expand. She said in the next five years the WNBA could add two more teams. The league already added the Atlanta Dream this season.
Hotbeds for women’s professional basketball according to Orender? The Southeast, Southwest, West and Midwest.
Back to Parker: Sky representatives say ticket sales are very brisk for Tuesday night’s game with the L.A. Sparks at the UIC Pavilion. If you want to see Parker in her only game in Chicago, get your tickets ASAP.