Naperville loves Candace Parker, and the basketball star is equally fond of the town where she grew up.
The shared affection was on display last week when Parker was the guest of honor at a ceremony dedicating the basketball court at Spring-Field Park in her name. She cut the ribbon on Candace Parker Court, a place where she spent plenty of productive time as a child.
“This is where I pretty much first picked up a basketball,” said Parker, the former Naperville Central High School standout who plays for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. “The first time I was on the court I was 5, had these huge braids and played with my big brothers. The park meant so much to our family.”
A plaque implanted in the sidewalk leading to the court notes that it was “the place where, for many years, Parker practiced and honed her craft under the guidance of her father.” Larry Parker was a former college basketball player who helped his daughter shape her game through countless hours of play.
Candace said Spring-Field was “the first court I beat my dad one-on-one.”
Naperville Park District Executive Director Ray McGury said naming the court after Parker was something “long overdue,” describing the honor as a way to welcome back “one of the most famous people from Naperville.”
Parker led Naperville Central to a pair of state basketball championships, starred at the University of Tennessee, was the top draft choice of the Sparks in 2008 and guided the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team to the gold medal in last summer’s Olympic Games.
She said the highlight of 2009 was the May birth of her daughter, Lailaa, whom she happily pushed in a stroller alongside her husband, Shelden Williams, a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, as they arrived for the dedication ceremony.
Parker was greeted by a few hundred fans, many of whom she accommodated afterward by signing autographs.
As he awarded her a key to the city, diminutive Naperville Mayor George Pradel joked that he will always look up to the 6-foot-4-inch Parker, but said it was because of her accomplishments as much as the difference in height.
“We’re giving you the key to the city because we always want you to come back,” Pradel said.
“Candace is even a better young woman than she is a basketball player — and that means a lot to me,” family friend Charlie Brown said.
“The city of Naperville holds a special place in my heart,” Parker said. “I want to thank my parents for bringing us here. If it was at all possible, I’d like to raise Lailaa here.”
Parker said she never imagined evolving into a role model for female athletes during her days playing at the Spring-Field court, but believes she has plenty of company.
“My generation was probably the first that had a few female athletes to really look up to, but today there are countless female athletes for young girls to look up to,” she said.