Former WNBA Star Candace Parker Gets Emotional Remembering Her Favorite Coach of the 20th Century

Candace Parker and Pat Summitt (via Getty Images)

Patricia Susan Summitt, known to everyone as the beloved Pat Summitt, was one of the greatest college football coaches in women’s basketball. And Candace Parker, a groundbreaking former WNBA star, played under Summitt for the Tennessee Volunteers women’s basketball team, known as the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Summit was bestowed with the Coach of the 20th Century honor in 2020 posthumously, and recently, Parker could not stop herself from shedding some tears, remembering her coach.

Candace Parker shares the most striking aspect of Pat Summitt

During her recent appearance on NBA on TNT on March 11, the former Los Angeles Sparks star, who is considered one of the greatest WNBA players in the league’s history, remembered her college basketball coach, Pat Summitt. Candace Parker played under Summitt for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during her tenure with the University of Tennessee. Under Summitt’s guidance, Parker led her team to two NCAA championships in the years 2007 and 2008.Reminiscing about her days with the team and under the guidance of one of the Coach of the 20th Century, Parker broke down in tears during the “Storytime with Lefkoe” segment in the show. Talking about Summitt, she spoke of what made Summitt stand out to her, saying:“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 and now when I’m home and I’m parenting my son, my son says, ‘look at me, look at me’ all the time.”It is easy to see how important Summitt was to Parker, and the role she played in her professional and personal life as a coach.

Candace Parker gets emotional remembering her coach

At her alma mater, Candace Parker won two SEC Player of the Year awards for two consecutive seasons, under the coaching of Pat Summitt. Remembering her, Parker was brought to tears during her recent NBA on TNT appearance, saying:“You’re gonna get me emotional, but she had this crystal blue stare that she could get you to wanna run through walls, and so being able to carry on her legacy is truly important. I’m going to get you, you got me crying.”It was truly emotional to see someone like Parker getting teary eyed remembering someone who shaped her into the player she became during her WNBA days. While she has said goodbye to the court, she is still very much a part of the game. After her retirement in 2024, Parker was named Adidas’ President of Women’s Basketball, a role she is still continuing to serve. The 3-time WNBA champion is also an analyst and commentator for TNT Sports.Also Read: “We sitting out”: WNBA stars Angel Reese and DiJonai Carrington signal potential strike amid looming CBA talks