Catching a star: Parker unplugged

What a whirlwind the last two months have been for Candace Parker.

The former Naperville Central basketball star carried Tennessee to its second straight NCAA title one night in early April and then was selected first in the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks the next day.

She immediately signed endorsement deals with Gatorade and Adidas that are estimated to be worth between $3 million and $5 million annually.

In her first WNBA game last month, the 6-foot-4 Parker led the Sparks to an impressive road victory over the Phoenix Mercury, the defending league champion. She torched the WNBA record books by pouring in 34 points, the most ever by a rookie in her first game.

A sellout crowd witnessed the game in Phoenix and since then the Sparks have played four other road games -- all sellouts -- followed by a home loss Friday to Phoenix before 13,142 in Los Angeles.

One of those sellouts was last Tuesday's game in Chicago against the Sky, where "Parker-mania" was more heightened as she played in her hometown for the first time as a professional.

Between all of Parker's reunions with old friends, visits to old neighborhood hangouts and accommodations to adoring fans, I caught up with her and had an interesting chat about what her life has been like lately.

Q. What do you like to do when you're here in Chicago?

A. I don't get to come home that much, so it's really nice to see family and friends. A lot of it is eating at my favorite places, places that I can't get in other areas. I love Portillo's. I love Egg Harbor Café. I'm a big Culver's fan. I love being home, because I just eat. That's why it's good I'm here for only a couple of days at a time. It could be a big problem.

Q. Have you liked living in Los Angeles so far?

A. I love L.A. I love what that city is about. I'm a West Coast girl now. It's a lot of fun and it's a pretty city. I'm still learning my way around.

Q. What have you been doing off the court there?

A. We'll keep it constant. Like I said, I love to eat. I'm a big sushi person. Shelden (Williams, Parker's fiancé and a forward for the Sacramento Kings) turned me on to sushi, so he and I go to a lot of sushi spots in L.A. The shopping, of course, is great and I have two dogs (Neno, a pug, and Sendi, a St. Bernard mix). I love taking them to the dog park and the beach.

Q. Have you rubbed shoulders with the Hollywood crowd yet?

A. (Laughs) Not too much. We've seen some people out when we've been eating.

Q. You said you like the shopping. Have you been hitting Rodeo Drive?

A. I've gotten down to Rodeo Drive. But I'm not on that level quite yet. So I really just look around. I've been window-shopping.

Q. Thanks to Gatorade and Adidas, I think you probably are on that level now.

A. (Laughs) Maybe.

Q. Is it surreal when you think about the hefty endorsements you've gotten already?

A. It is. I'm just really thankful for everyone who has paved the way for me to do the things I'm doing now. It wasn't always this way. This is what we're all playing for now … opportunities. I mean, there are things I've experienced that (longtime Sparks center) Lisa Leslie wasn't able to. Or my mom (Sara). One generation older than me, some of them didn't have the opportunity to play basketball in college, or even high school. In a sense, I'm (a trailblazer). It's our job to leave the game better than it was when we got here.

Q. Did you anticipate that the transition from college to the pros would be so seamless? (Parker is averaging 18.0 points and 11.2 rebounds.)

A. It's been an easier transition for me because I had played two years with the World Championship team and one year with the Olympic qualifier team, so I kind of understood what it was like to play with some of the best in the world. I think that gave me kind of an advantage because I wasn't floored with how fast or how physical the game is.

Q. Speaking of the Olympics, your 2008 whirlwind isn't over yet. You'll be playing in the Olympics this summer for the first time ever. How cool is that?

A. I've always told my family and friends that I was going for the triple crown this year. We clinched back-to-back national championships at Tennessee. Now, it's trying to win an Olympic gold medal and a WNBA championship. Winning those three things in the same year … I don't think many people have done that. But that's my goal.

Q. Weren't you supposed to get married (to Williams) this year, too?

A. (Laughs) We tried to fit it in, but now we're looking at 2009 because of how busy my schedule has been. It would have been impossible.

Q. Are kids in your future?

A. Definitely kids. I love my niece and my two nephews. I couldn't imagine not having kids. I will have them eventually. Eventually. (Laughs)

Q. Look at how far you've come. Can you even remember the good old days back at Naperville Central?

A. It is funny to look back at all the things that have happened since then. I remember when I was in high school my brother sitting me down and saying, 'These are going to be the best years of your life.' It's funny because it's true.

Being in high school, playing basketball back in the AAU days where you're playing 10 games in a day … those are some of the best times of your life and that's what I remember the most. Those are where all my best relationships came from. The people I still keep in contact with now are from those days.