Candace Parker Makes History As First Woman to Serve As Color Commentator at NBA All-Star Game

Candace Parker.Michael Reaves/Getty Images

It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for eight-time WNBA all-star Candace Parker. On Tuesday, Feb. 7, the power forward officially signed with the Las Vegas Aces and was formally introduced by her new team, having spent the last two seasons in Chicago. Last night she worked as a studio analyst during TNT’s broadcast of LeBron James’s history-making moment as the Lakers great broke the NBA’s all-time career scoring record.

Parker will be making history herself as it was unveiled yesterday that she will serve as a color commentator for TNT at the NBA All-Star Game, the first woman to work as an in-game analyst at the event. The two-time WNBA MVP will be joined by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and announcer Brian Anderson to headline the broadcast team on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City.

“🚨HISTORY MADE🚨 Our very own @candaceparker will be the first female in-game color commentator for the 72nd NBA All-Star game on @nbaontnt,” the WNBA posted on Instagram on Feb. 7. “Congrats, CP 🧡.”

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“I’m a fan first and foremost of the NBA and especially the All-Star Game,” Parker said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “And so I think the fan of the game, and the childhood Candace is—I have to pinch myself to believe that I’m doing it, and that I’m able to have a courtside seat to see the best players in the world.”

This isn’t the first time Parker is shattering the glass ceiling. In 2006, she became the first woman in NCAA tournament history to dunk, two years before she was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.

Parker has balanced her 15 WNBA seasons with her broadcast duties. The 36-year-old began her TV career in 2018 with Turner Sports, appearing on TNT, NBA TV and March Madness broadcasts. In ’20, she became part of the new Inside the NBA Tuesday studio show, alongside Shaquille O’Neal (with whom she often spars).

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“I know how much watching SportsCenter and seeing Robin Roberts talk about sports meant to me. And I would hope that there’s somebody in this world that is going to watch the All-Star Game and either hope to play in it or hope to call it,” the two-time WNBA champion added about her exciting and groundbreaking new role. “So if we can reach more people, in terms of seeing themselves in the broadcast crew or seeing themselves on the court, whatever it is, I think we’re doing our job. It’s a huge honor to be able to do that and hopefully to inspire others to take that step, and understand that it’s beneficial to have a diversity of thought and diversity of people that are covering games.”

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