| Rank | Event | Year | Location | |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 1 | Women | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | |
| World Championship | ||||
| 3 | Women | 2006 | Brazil | |
Hobbies
Spending time with her family, cooking, and watching football. (candaceparker.com, 01 May 2010)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Sport Management - University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
Family
Daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams.
Language(s) spoken
English
Club name
Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Coach
Carol Ross [Club], Geno Auriemma [National] (USA) (candaceparker.com, 12 Jan 2012, 12 Feb 2012, usabasketball.com, 11 Feb 2008, 20 Apr 2011, latimes.com, 17 Aug 2009)
Position and style
Forward (slamonline.com, 11 Aug 2011)
Debut
2006 for United States, against China, World Championships (Brazil) (nba.com, 28 Jul 2008)
Injuries
In April 2008 she twice dislocated her left shoulder in a match for the University of Tennessee against Texas A&M University, but still managed to score 26 points. She told reporters the injury was not serious because she was like 'Gumby', an animated clay figure from US television. "I'm loose and it works to my advantage sometimes," she said. (ESPN, 03 Apr 2008, mercurynews.com, 05 Apr 2008)
She had knee cartilage surgery in August and September 2004 and missed the 2004-05 college season while she recovered. (utladyvols.com, 10 Mar 2008)
In July 2003 she had surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury. (utladyvols.com, 10 Mar 2008)
Additional information
Reason for taking up this sport
At the age of 10, she watched United States basketball player Lisa Leslie win her first Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, United States, and was inspired by her performance. (Concord Monitor, 01 Jun 2008)
Hero
The United States' world and Olympic Games champion basketball players Tamika Catchings and Tina Thompson. She also admires media mogul Oprah Winfrey. (usabasketball.com, 10 Mar 2008, candaceparker.com, 01 May 2010 )
Awards
In May 2008 she scored 34 points in her debut Women's National Basketball Association [WNBA] match, a then-record haul for an WNBA debutant. (wnba.com, 28 Jul 2008)
She received the Wooden Award as College Basketball Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008. (wbir.com, 05 Jun 2008)
Winner of the 2007 and 2008 Honda Award as the top collegiate athlete in women's basketball. (theacc.com, 18 Dec 2007)
Named as the Southeastern Conference's [SEC] 2006 Freshman of the Year and 2007 Player of the Year. (wbir.com, 05 Jun 2008)
She became the first woman ever to win a slam-dunk contest, winning the 2004 Powerade Jam Fest. In the process she beat five men including JR Smith and Rudy Gay. (usabasketball.com, 11 Nov 2008)
General
DUNK STAR
In 2008 she became just the second player, after Lisa Leslie, to slam-dunk in a WNBA match. In 2006 she became the first woman to dunk at the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] Championships and in 2004 became the first woman to win the dunk contest at the High School All-American Game. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com, utladyvols.com, 10 Mar 2008, wnba.com, 28 Jul 2008)
TURNING PRO
She skipped her senior year at college to turn professional in 2008 and was the number one pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. (candaceparker.com, 23 Dec 2010, slamonline.com, 21 Feb 2008)
FAMILY
Her mother Sara has held a position as office manager and assistant to the chief executive officer [CEO] of WNBA franchise, the Chicago Sky. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com, 10 Mar 2008)
CHARITY WORK
She has worked with community service organizations such as D.A.R.E, Loaves & Fishes, The Ronald McDonald House, and PETA. (usabasketball.com, 11 Nov 2008, candaceparker.com, 01 May 2010)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008
