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Candace Parker speaks on women’s basketball, emulating Allen Iverson, and Coach Summit’s Impact on “The Why with Dwyane Wade” podcast.
We share highlights from this week’s episode of the iHeartPodcasts series “The Why with Dwyane Wade”, a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and Wade’s 59th & Prairie Entertainment, with special guest star forward of the Las Vegas Aces, Candace Parker who shares her deep-rooted admiration for Allen Iverson, detailing how she emulates his unapologetically authentic approach to the game.
Later in the episode, Candace and Dwyane discuss the unique comfort and confidence instilled in Chicago ballers, nurtured by legends like Michael Jordan.
Candace then delves into the level of scrutiny between men’s and women’s sports and advocates for a more balanced approach that fosters constructive critique without being sexist.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- 13:10 – DWYANE SHARES ONE OF HIS TOP SCHOOLS WAS IOWA, BUT NOT FOR THE REASON YOU MAY THINK
Dwyane: “Iowa is actually one of the schools I wanted to go to. And it’s not for no reason that would make sense.”
Candace: “Okay I want to hear why.”
Dwyane: “I liked the colors.”
Candace: “I mean, okay.”
Dwyane: “I don’t have many pictures of my childhood but I have one, I have Iowa basketball shorts that are black and gold. I love black and gold. My high school was black and gold. I love gold and Michigan is blue and gold. So those were the two schools when I was younger. I wanted to go to Michigan or I wanted to go to Iowa…I was like I could do Iowa, I could do Purdue. It was these colors.”
- 22:06 – CANDACE ON LOOKING UP TO ALLEN IVERSON AND EMULATING HIM
Candace: “I hate fitting in like, a lane. That is my biggest ick, is fitting in one lane. So I think I took pieces from a lot of different people. I grew up loving [Allen] Iverson, it’s part of the reason I wear number three…I had the finger bands. My brother got drafted to Philly so he was on the team– I had the finger number 3 bands.”
Dwyane: “Like, from him?”
Candace: “Yes, he gave them to me when I was in…junior high. I wore them in high school. You don’t understand my love for Iverson. I was doing the Jadakiss commercials…I could do that whole commercial…I had all the Reebok shoes, the answers, the questions I had everything. The air bubbles used to pop, I used to go get some more…It’s his heart. He didn’t care what people told him he couldn’t do, he was going to do it. And I loved the fact that he was him…He was Iverson. So hate him or love him, he was not going to change based off his environment and I love that. I did have the little zig zag braids, I’m not going to lie.”
- 23:57 – DWYANE AND CANDACE ON HOW IVERSON CHANGED THE NBA
Dwyane: “That’s why I had Iverson as the one to walk me, introduce me to the Hall of Fame because [of] exactly what you said…For young kids growing up, we idolized the fact that he did challenge the conventional norms, he wasn’t like everyone else…It was a certain way on how you thought you had to be and then Iverson showed up and showed you no you don’t.”
Candace: “…he changed an entire culture, mentality. I think the NBA as a whole, changed as a result of– he took a bullet and a lot of fines…You do take a bullet being the first and sometimes people look at you like you’re different. And now you see all these kids out that are able to be themselves and are able to play the game they love.”
- 38:10 – CANDACE AND DWYANE ON CHICAGO HOOPERS BEING COMFORTABLE IN HIGH-IMPACT MOMENTS “I KNEW MJ WAS GOING TO HIT THAT SHOT IN UTAH”
Candace: “Don’t you think also, from growing up watching the [Chicago] Bulls, there’s this expectation to win so there’s this level of comfort in those situations. Like without a shadow of a doubt, I knew MJ was going to hit that shot in Utah. Every single time. Because we saw it…liked you knew you were going to make those plays and because you’ve seen it so much in those moments, I feel like Chicago ballers are comfortable. We’re comfortable in those moments.”
- 46:23 – CANDACE ON COACH PAT SUMMIT’S LEADERSHIP AND WHAT SET CANDACE UP FOR SUCCESS AND FAILURE
Candace: “It’s crazy because I feel like my dad and Pat set me up for failure…because I had such a close emotional relationship with them, they knew what I was thinking before I was even thinking it. They knew the buttons to push, they knew when to back off. They knew when to question. Because if you question whether I can do something, I’m going to stay up all night, all day, trying to prove to you that I can. And they knew that. So they knew the buttons to push. Coach and my dad were two of the best listeners I’ve ever been a part of. They wanted to know the why. They wanted to know what I was thinking. And because they gave me the opportunity to express myself and ask questions, when they said ‘shut up, we gotta get this done,’ I shut up…I think Pat and my dad, those two coaches would say ‘we’re hedging on the screen because she’s killing us on the dribble back. And then she’s waiting and hitting threes.’ Okay, I didn’t see it that way…So there’s always a reason why I’m asking the question. And I think Coach Summit and my dad always understood that. That my brain was always going. And then I got to the WNBA and it was like attacking, like if I was asking a question it was like ‘oh you don’t think I know this?’ No, that’s not why I’m asking that question. I think Coach Summit’s leadership style was she listened, she empowered her players, and she didn’t treat every player the same. She treated us with the same respect.”
- 1:13:31 – CANDACE SAYS THE GAME OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DOESN’T GET ENOUGH CRITICISM; PEOPLE ARE BUSY PROTECTING THE GAME
Candace: “I’m big on, within the women’s game of basketball, I don’t think there’s enough scrutiny about our play. Hear me out. As a woman, because the game has been attacked so much by people sitting in their basement that can’t dunk a donut, let alone a basketball, they’re the ones that have driven the narrative that nobody watches women’s sports, women’s basketball is terrible, they say all these terrible things…so many people have become protective of the game of basketball, they cannot take criticism. Nobody’s allowed to criticize the game. But guess what? I want to criticize on The First Morning Show, is DWade going to get to the basket? Is he gonna get to the free throw line? Or is he going to settle for the catch and shoot, which is what the [San Antonio] Spurs want y’all to do? But you can’t do that in the women’s game. But there’s also a line that if a woman makes a mistake, then they’re like ‘go make a sandwich in the kitchen.’ I’m cool if you attack my words and my play and my facts. But when you start attacking what I should be doing and making sandwiches and being in the kitchen, to me, is crazy.”