Each year there is always a question about who will grace the cover of the next sports game. Whether it’s Madden, NBA2K, NHL, MLB, etc. people are always wondering who will be featured when the next version comes out. Today NBA2K released this year’s cover athletes as they will have 3 different editions of the game. On the 25th anniversary WNBA edition, the cover athlete will be none other than Chicago Sky All-Star Candace Parker.
Extremely proud and humbled to be the first female cover athlete in the history of @NBA2K
I’m honored to work with a company that’s investing in women and betting on us to succeed. I’m hopeful there will be many more badass females to follow 💪🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/WJan4YE7Qt
— Candace Parker (@Candace_Parker) July 14, 2021
Parker becomes the first woman to be featured on the cover of an NBA2K game. This is a big moment in history for the 2K franchise as well as the WNBA. In case you aren’t familiar with Parker’s journey in the WNBA, I’ll give you some background on her.
Candace Parker came home
Parker moved to Naperville right outside of Chicago when she was 2 years old. She was a huge Chicago Bulls fan growing up and has strong ties to the city of Chicago. After playing college basketball at the University of Tennessee she was drafted 1st overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. Up until this year, Parker had played her entire WNBA career in Los Angeles. After becoming an unrestricted free agent Parker found her way back home and signed with the Chicago Sky. This season Parker sustained a pretty nasty ankle sprain and was out for a good chunk of time. However, in her 12 games played she has averaged 13.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, & 1.3 BPG. She has shown up for the Sky in every game that she’s played. The Sky currently sits in the 5th spot as they head into the Olympic break. Parker has been a huge upgrade for the Sky but her career overall has been nothing short of amazing.
In elite company
If you look at Parker’s career she has accomplished an exceptional amount. She’s been in the league for 14 seasons and has 2 league MVPs, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, 6x All-Star, WNBA Champion, and WNBA Finals MVP. She has been a dominating force since entering the league in 2008. Looking at her career numbers she has played in 349 games averaging 16.7 PPG, 48.1 %FG, 8.6 RPG, & 3.9 APG. She impacts the game at all levels. She also finds herself in elite company as only the third person to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season across the NBA & WNBA. The list is Candace Parker, Wilt Chamberlain, and Wes Unseld. That’s some pretty good company if you ask me.
While she still has more years left to play this is certainly a big honor in her career. It was announced while she was on The Big Podcast with Shaquille Oneil. Shaq had a great reaction upon hearing the news.
Shaq's reaction to finding out that Candace is on the cover of @NBA2K 🤣
Full interview: https://t.co/9ubdcTYVCj pic.twitter.com/CHnZQGcaU0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 14, 2021
This is a huge accomplishment by Parker and a huge stepping stone for the WNBA. Even more exciting is Parker will hit the floor tonight as a WNBA All-Star.
WNBA All-Star game
Tonight Candace Parker will be participating in the WNBA All-Star game. The All-Star game will feature the WNBA All-Stars and the USA Women’s Olympic team. This format gives the Olympic team a chance to prepare for the Olympics while also creating a thrilling game for the fans. Parker has done well in the games she’s played in this season and looks to continue that in the All-Star game. The game begins at 7 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN. This is a well-deserved honor for Parker. Her being in Chicago when it happens is just the icing on the cake. While it was great for Parker to be an All-Star she knows her business is far from over. Parker will try to bring a championship to Chicago this season after the Olympic break.
This moment in history gives girls all over the world inspiration. The possibility of being on the cover of NBA2K has now become a reality. The fact that it’s Candace Parker gracing the cover couldn’t be better. Congratulations is in order to the great Candace Parker and we hope to see her help lead the Sky to the WNBA Title this season.
