'I hold Naperville very close to my heart'
Before she was the top pick in the WNBA draft, before she won an Olympic gold medal and before the back-to-back NCAA championships, Candace Parker was honing her hoops skills in Naperville.
She led Naperville Central High School to consecutive state championships in 2003 and 2004, and few are likely to forget the sight of the 15-year-old sensation flying through the air on her way to becoming Illinois' first female high school basketball player to dunk in a game.
Parker still speaks affectionately about her days in Naperville and the city, likewise, still carries a torch for one of its most successful athletes.
Naperville Park District will rename a basketball court in Candace's honor at 11 a.m. Thursday at Spring-Field Park, 2031 Springside Circle, and the woman who has helped redefine the game she loves will be on hand.
Parker recently spoke to the Daily Herald about growing up in Naperville. Here is an edited version of that conversation.
Q. How do you feel about Naperville naming a basketball court after you?
A. I was really happy because I knew I was going to be able to come back and I grew up right down the street from that park. We have videotapes of me playing there with my brothers and things like that, so it was a very special opportunity I didn't want to pass on.
Q. What memories do you have of the park?
A. Just a lot of times going there and shooting with my father and playing around, playing against my brothers and things like that. My brother Marcus actually had his first dunk at that park. There's a lot of great memories that have happened there and I'm very excited to have the court named after me.
My brothers are giving me a lot of (teasing) about it, (saying) the court needs to be named after them because I've never won there and things like that. It's all in fun.
It was very close to home, so if anything ever went down I was able to get home without any problems.
It's an honor, it really is. I hold Naperville very close to my heart because I grew up there. I was there from the time I was 3 until I was 18. I played basketball and grew up there and it was a huge part in my development as a basketball player.
Q. Do you have a favorite memory of your basketball days in Naperville?
A. It would probably have to be getting into high school and winning two state championships. The first one was sweet but the second one was definitely the sweetest because everybody had counted us out.
I had just come off an injury and back-to-back championships was a dream for us, it really was. To take Naperville from where it was to where it is now, it was special.
Q. Do you get back to Naperville often?
A. Usually I get back about twice a year, when I play (with the L.A. Sparks) and when my husband (Shelden Williams of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves) plays in Chicago. I also usually go and watch the game when my brother (Anthony, who has just joined the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers) goes and plays. I usually come back like twice and stay a week each time.
I have my lineup of restaurants I like to eat at. No matter how short a time I'm there, I always fit in every single restaurant even if I have to eat five times a day.
Portillo's is definitely the number one place I go as soon as I land. I really like Traverso's, that's another one of my favorite spots. I really like Giordano's pizza. A lot of unhealthy things - Culver's, huge on Egg Harbor Cafe. In Chicago, we like the Chophouse. I really like Colonial Cafe (in Naperville), I really like Domo 77.
Q. Whom did you look up to when you were younger?
A. I looked up to my brothers when I was playing. It was a thrill to me when I finally reached junior high because I was going to one of the same schools my brothers went to.
I looked up to them and was in awe of what they accomplished and what they did and was happy to be recognized as their little sister. We would have ... the same teacher and they would be like, "Aren't you Marcus's little sister or Anthony's little sister?" and I would be like "Yeah! They're my brothers." I was super excited.
Q. How have you stayed grounded?
A. I manage to stay grounded because there's no reason not to. I came from a great foundation and I surrounded myself with people that were positive ... and that was just a key.
My brothers definitely keep me grounded even now. They tease me about "you haven't published anything," "you still haven't done this." I always am looking to do more and looking to achieve more and there's always one more thing to do, so that's what I want to do.
Q. Are you interested in coming back to Chicago to play for the Sky?
A. I'm really excited to play in the WNBA and I was ecstatic when Chicago got a franchise. I thought it was great because of how many basketball programs and how much support and how much great basketball is played around the city of Chicago. For them to have a team, it seemed right.
I'm very excited here in L.A. and I'm happy with my place here right now. I never say never, so I won't cancel that out. It's always very special for me to come home and play.
Wherever the future leads me, that's where it'll lead me. But for now I'm in L.A.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=309972">Naperville preparing to dedicate basketball court in Parker's honor </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=310121">A love letter to sport comes down to one thing: opportunity </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=310120">Full Circle: Candace Parker believes there's always another goal </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=310119">Competitive on the court, Candace is compassionate off it </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=310118">'I hold Naperville very close to my heart' </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=310117">Candace comes home </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=310027">Sleep-deprived Parker wakes up WNBA </a></li> </ul> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=309244">Candace Parker </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>