“It’s not those big moments that go first; it’s the preparation. And you know you’re not where you need to be if you cannot get up on a random Thursday and work to be great for those moments. So, on this present day, I can still get up and motivate myself to work out after this podcast and prepare. But when that time comes where I cannot motivate myself to get extra shots or go work out when I know I need to, that’s when I’m like ‘Sub.’ Like my time’s up. Sub me out! That’s it.” – Candace Parker, episode 238 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
WNBA superstar Candace Parker is one of the most decorated female basketball players to ever play the game. Off the court, she joins us to discuss the pay gap between men and women athletes (3:05), why she chose basketball at age thirteen (8:50), the influence of her father’s competitive spirit (10:58), the Participation Trophy Era (12:30), and how she’s processing the larger, cultural conversation around mental health in sports (14:49).
Now the host of the “Moments with Candace Parker” podcast, we walk through a few of her own inflection points: overcoming a severe injury ahead of her first season at the University of Tennessee (21:00), having her daughter at twenty-three (25:05), and winning the WNBA Finals in 2016 (26:30).
Then, before we go, Candace reflects on the lasting impact of her late mentor and coach, Pat Summitt (31:00), why she decided to come home to Chicago (34:44), and how she hopes her daughter remembers her in this moment, August 2021 (38:02).
Show notes
- Listen to Candace’s new podcast: Moments with Candace Parker.
- Follow Candace Parker on Twitter & Instagram.
- Watch Candace win her first WNBA Title & Finals MVP in 2016.
- Return to the full 2005 Sports Illustrated profile on Candace.
- Visit her personal website.
- Read Aly Raisman’s interview with The New Yorker.
- Listen to our past conversations with people like Kathrine Switzer, Hasan Minhaj, Gloria Steinem, Janelle Monáe, and Run the Jewels.
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi