Academy Award-winning production company, ESPN Films, will air its latest documentary “Candace Parker: Unapologetic” this Sunday, November 12 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
ESPN Films highlighting Candace Parker’s journey
The film will cover Parker’s journey from a rising teenage basketball phenom at Naperville Central High School, to paving the way for women sports stars in the twenty-first century. Her balance between the game of basketball and the personal life of motherhood, divorce, and marriage will also be highlighted.
At Naperville Central, Parker emerged as one of the best high school girls basketball players of all time. Despite tearing her ACL as a teenager, she remains the only two-time award winner of the USA Today High School Player of the Year. Parker dunked for the first time as a sophomore in 2001, before leading the Redhawks to back-to-back IHSA Cass AA State titles in 2003 and 2004.
After graduating and winning the slam dunk contest at the 2004 McDonald’s All-American game over future NBA players, Parker went off to play for legendary coach, Pat Summitt, at the University of Tennessee. She led the Lady Vols program to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008.
From there, Parker was selected as the first pick in the 2008 WNBA draft and continued her dominance in the sport. She’s the only WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season. The accolades Parker has received during her WNBA career are among the all-time greats. Most notably, she’s a three-time WNBA Champion, two-time WNBA MVP, and a seven-time selection on the All-WNBA First Team.
Behind-the-scenes footage
Camera crews followed Parker during her 2022 season with the Chicago Sky, getting behind-the-scenes footage for the documentary.
“I’ve been fascinated with Candace’s career since she was drafted to the WNBA during my tenure as a producer on The ESPYS,” said the film’s director, Joie Jacoby, in a press release. “She is someone who has made history at every point in her career and has had to endure the scrutiny that comes with that, yet she does it with such grace to make it look effortless. I was most struck by her commitment to her work, but most importantly to her family and her role as a working mother. I’m eager to take fans behind the curtain with Candace as she shows how much effort that has truly taken along the way.”
Parker married former NBA player Shelden Williams in 2008 and she gave birth to her daughter Lailaa in 2009. In 2016, the couple split when Williams filed for divorce, the same year that Parker won her first WNBA Championship with the Las Angeles Sparks, and when her college coach and mentor, Pat Summitt died at the age of 64 from Alzheimer’s Disease.
In 2019, Parker married Ann Petrakova, her former teammate in the Russian League.
Parker opens up in the documentary
“We have a commitment to telling stories around compelling women, and it’s hard to find a better subject than Candace,” added Marsha Cooke, Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films and 30 for 30: in a press release. “Everyone knows about her astonishing career, undoubtedly one of the greatest ever – but those incredible highs and accolades barely scratch the surface. She’s a deep, fascinating, authentic person and this film gives us the chance to tell an intimate story about a gifted athlete, wife, and mother. For all she’s accomplished and for as long as she’s been in the public eye, most people still don’t know her. That’s what makes this film unique: Candace speaking her truth, and doing so in a beautiful way.”
ESPN Films’ “Candace Parker: Unapologetic” will premiere on Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, and will be available for viewing at any time after the debut on ESPN+ and the ESPN Films Library.
Photo courtesy: ESPN Press Room
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