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Before she won a couple of WNBA MVP trophies, Candace Parker rose to national basketball prominence at the University of Tennessee. Parker was a member of two national championship-winning teams, earning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors along the way.
Parker was guided by coach Pat Summitt during her standout tenure with the Volunteers. Parker, an “NBA on TNT” analyst, took a moment to share how she continues to carry the lessons the late coach instilled in her years ago.
“I would say eye contact is really, really, really important. And she was the first person that made me really truly look at her when she would talk,” Parker responded to co-host Adam Lefkoe’s request to share some memorable advice from Summitt during a “Storytime” segment.
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University of Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart (left), former player Candace Parker (right), head coach emeritus Pat Summitt (left center) and head coach Holly Warlick (right center) during the retirement ceremony of Parker’s jersey before a game against the LSU Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena. (Randy Sartin/USA Today Sports)
“And so now, when I’m at home, and I’m parenting my son, my son says, ‘Look at me. Look at me.’ Like all the time, because I didn’t realize I say that all the time. She had this crystal blue stare that she could get you to want to run through walls. And so being able to carry out her legacy is truly important,” a tearful Parker added.
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Summitt died in 2016 of complications from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Tournament MVP Candace Parker of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers hugs head coach Pat Summitt as they celebrate their 59-46 victory against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to win the 2007 national championship at Quicken Loans Arena April 3, 2007, in Cleveland. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Lefkoe thanked Parker and then recalled another story the three-time WNBA champion once told.
“We all wish to have a relationship with somebody the way you did with Pat,” said Lefkoe. “I’ll never forget you telling me the story of how you came into college. You were hurt, and she would just make you sit there. And you guys would talk. I think it is a blessing. I want you to say thank you for sharing these stories with us because we don’t have these relationships like you did. We love you. And to Pat and Pat’s entire family, we love you as well.”
Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach Pat Summitt smiles during a halftime ceremony at a 2012 NCAA Final Four game between the Baylor Bears and the Stanford Cardinal at the Pepsi Center. (Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports)
Parker also serves on the Pat Summitt Foundation’s Board of Directors. The foundation seeks to make advances in Alzheimer’s research.
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Summitt is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. She won eight national titles during her storied tenure at Tennessee.
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