Candace Parker’s 16-Year Promise Could’ve Eased Shaquille O’Neal’s Worries About the WNBA—Here’s How
In June 2008, while Shaquille O’Neal was past his prime at Phoenix, rapping about Kobe Bryant in a freestyle at a club, history was being made at his former home, the Staples Center. The Lakers’ sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks, was making waves, thanks to a young rookie named Candace Parker. Parker, in just one electrifying week, recorded two consecutive dunks, becoming the second woman to dunk in the WNBA and the first to do it twice in a row. At that time, Shaq was a Laker, and he must have been paying attention because Parker was delivering what fans craved—high-flying action. This moment was a literal game-changer for the WNBA, setting a new standard for what was possible.
Shaquille O’Neal, famously vocal about wanting more dunks in the WNBA, has always pushed for excitement in the women’s game. His controversial suggestion of lowering the rims has sparked a lot of debate, but a decade before Candace Parker had anything to say about Shaq’s ‘lower the rims’ proposal, she was already promising that the WNBA would have its own spectacle—dunks included.
Candace Parker’s Early Prophecy for the WNBA
Back in 2002, Lisa Leslie was the first woman to slam it down in the WNBA, paving the way for Candace Parker, who would follow in her mentor’s footsteps. On June 22, 2008, while facing off against the Indiana Fever, Parker made her first dunk—only to double down two days later against Seattle, pulling off back-to-back slams that no one had ever seen before in the league. But these dunks weren’t just for show—they were the start of something much bigger.
Parker had been dunking well before her WNBA days. She was the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament, slamming it home a total of seven times while playing for Tennessee. She knew that bringing that flair to the WNBA would electrify the game, and she was right. In 2008, while receiving the Honda-Broderick Cup for being the best female college athlete, she spoke about what was next: “I do know that more and more women are going to do it, and it’s something that people are going to have to accept.” Parker’s confidence in the future of women’s basketball was unshakeable, and though some critics at the time doubted the game would ever match the NBA’s excitement level, she clearly believed otherwise. **[Insert Image 2 here—Candace Parker Receiving Honda-Broderick Cup: This image supports her role as a pioneer and leader in women’s basketball.]**
The WNBA’s dunking story didn’t end with Parker. In fact, it was just the beginning. Brittney Griner, another powerhouse in the league, now holds the record for the most dunks in WNBA history with 26. While the popularity of the WNBA didn’t truly explode until years after Parker’s debut, her influence laid the groundwork for what was to come. Today, Candace Parker may be retired, but her presence on TNT and her verbal sparring with Shaq show she’s still as passionate as ever about pushing the game forward.
Shaq and Ace Agree to Disagree
Shaquille O’Neal, always one for a flashy dunk, had a simple solution for increasing the spectacle in the WNBA—lowering the rims. It’s an idea that didn’t sit well with Candace Parker. During his time with the Lakers, Shaq used to dominate his way to victory, often leaving his opponents bruised and battered. He wanted that level of dominance in the WNBA, believing lower rims would lead to more dunks and therefore more excitement. But Parker wasn’t buying it. To her, the strength of the women’s game was never about copying the NBA’s approach—it was about carving out its own space, where power and skill coexisted in a uniquely WNBA way.
In her exchanges with Shaq, Parker didn’t shy away from pointing out the flaws in his argument. The WNBA, she argued, needed authenticity, not gimmicks. And in the years since Parker’s early days, her vision of what the WNBA could be has largely come true. The league has gained popularity, expanded its fan base, and kept growing—all without lowering the rims. And the dunkers? They’re still here, making the game as thrilling as ever.
