In a sport that is historically male-dominated, it’s rare to see females calling NBA games. Retired WNBA star Candace Parker is one of them.
During a recent appearance on Dwyane Wade’s podcast, the Miami Heat legend asked Candace if she thinks that she has the respect of the NBA players when she talks about their game. Parker replied that she hopes so.
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“I think so,”said Parker. “And here’s the thing with respect, I think. Your opinion or you agreeing with what I see may not always be aligned. But the respect is what you seek because I wanna come with facts. Now, do we live in a time where everything is like black and white?”
“No, there’s a grey area as well. But I hope when I come with the black and white facts, that I’m coming with tape, I’m coming with reasons, I’m coming with facts. And that’s the way I always try to approach it, where I see something but I need something else to back it up.”
Candace has the credentials
With Hall of Famer credibility, Parker is not just your ordinary media personality. She was the No.1 overall pick of the 2008 WNBA Draft and played 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, two with the Chicago Sky,and one with the Las Vegas Aces. She is the only player to win a WNBA championship with three different teams.
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Individually, Candace was a seven-time All-Star, a seven-time member of the WNBA All-First Team, and a three-time WNBA Second Team selection. She won the WNBA MVP twice, Finals MVP once and All-Star Game MVP once.
She was a member of the WNBA 20th and 25th anniversary teams. The list goes on. As an NBA analyst, she has worked with the iconic trio of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA.
Last May, Parker joined Amazon Prime as the only female studio and game analyst in their lineup, while teaming up with NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Udonis Haslem, Rudy Gay and John Wall. Being entrusted with those broadcast assignments speaks volumes about her abilities as a commentator of the men’s game.
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No always right
However, while Parker has garnered public praise for her body of work in broadcasting from the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, there have been times when she has also been criticized for her less-than-ideal takes. For instance, Candace agreed with her Las Vegas Aces head coach, Becky Hammon, that Jalen Brunson is not a 1A player.
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“As a number one option, last year in the playoffs, great first round, second round not so much,” she said about Brunson during the Rivals Week broadcast on TNT in January 2024.
Looking at the numbers, Brunson averaged 31.0 points on 50 percent shooting along with 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in the Knicks’ 2023 second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. Candace’s comment drew a negative reaction from Josh Hart on “X.”
“Shows you some of them don’t actually watch basketball,” wrote Josh.
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Actor Ben Stiller agreed with Hart and commented “Yes” on his post. Meanwhile, current Lakers head coach JJ Redick replied with a “wow” on Josh’s post.
Overall, however, Parker’s opinions are widely respected because of her name and basketball resume. And as she said, she has always tried to back her commentaries with facts and avoided making hot takes, while mostly discussing basketball and refraining from engaging in hot takes.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
