Essential Candace Parker Details For Every Basketball Fan

Born on April 18, 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri, Candace Parker pretty much was destined to give basketball a try. Candace's father Larry Parker was a college baller who played basketball for University of Iowa, and his kids followed in his footsteps. Larry coached his older sons Anthony and Marcus Parker, and as Candace got older, it was no surprise that she too was drawn to basketball. 

At the same time, however, Candace nursed a fear of living in her brothers and father's shadow — so she tried out other sports. "She had options to do a number of things and we had to tell her, 'You are a good athlete. You are going to be pretty good at most of the things you do," her mother Sara Parker recounted to "Court-Side Moms." "She loved volleyball just as much. Volleyball, basketball, and soccer she played all the time."

By the time junior high rolled around, Candace was all in on basketball. Her brother Anthony had just been drafted into the NBA, so if she was going to have as much chance as she did, there was only one person to turn to — her father. Initially reluctant to coach Candace, Larry eventually agreed to take on his only daughter. "It was probably the best decision he ever made," Sara told Grantland in 2013.

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