How President Biden got mixed up about Candace Parker at White House ceremony for Las Vegas Aces
When the Las Vegas Aces made their trip to the White House for winning the 2023 WNBA championship, Lady Vols legend Candace Parker couldn't be in attendance Thursday.
President Joe Biden still gave a shoutout to the WNBA great, who recently announced her retirement, but he mixed up Parker's title, calling her a coach instead of a player.
"And while she couldn’t be here, I want to acknowledge someone who will be considered one of the greatest all-time coaches, Candace Parker," Biden said in his speech. "She played 16 seasons in the league, two Olympic gold medals, two regular season MVPs, and a Final MVP. And look — and going out on top of the world with her third ring, she announced her retirement from the game.
"But I want to thank her for an incredible career, but we know she’s got a whole world in front of her — a whole world."
Parker was sidelined for the second half of the season and did not get to play in the back-to-back championship run. But Parker became the first player in league history to win a WNBA title with three franchises – the Los Angeles Sparks, who drafted her No. 1 overall in 2008, her hometown Chicago Sky and the Aces.
Lady Vols fans would love to see Parker be a coach one day – especially for her alma mater – but if Parker chooses a coaching career, it seems to be farther down the line. On Wednesday, Adidas announced that Parker was named the president of Adidas women's basketball. Her role will involve everything related to Adidas' branding and involvement women's basketball. She was the first woman to receive a signature shoe with Adidas in 2010.
"The brand and I have grown together, and we’ve done some amazing things," Parker told Fast Company. "I'm excited about what the future holds on this side of things because I’m so passionate about growing the game of basketball."
Parker, 38, will also still be an analyst for Turner Sports, from being in the studio for NBA on TNT to calling games on occasion. The three-time WNBA champion will be busy in her post-playing career.
Parker is still one of the greatest to wear the Lady Vols jersey – hers is one of six to be retired at UT. She led Tennessee to NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008 under Pat Summitt, the last time UT has made the Final Four or won a title. She was the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and was a two-time Wooden Award winner.
She was a two-time WNBA MVP, the first of which was in her rookie season when she also won Rookie of the Year. She is still the only player to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Parker won the 2016 Finals MVP, the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year and was a 10-time All-WNBA selection. She's the only player to rank top 10 in points, rebounds, assists and blocks in league history, and she was a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: President Biden confused about Candace Parker, calls her a coach
