The Los Angeles Sparks selected 2026 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Candace Parker first overall in the 2008 WNBA draft.
Parker entered the draft after a celebrated college career at the University of Tennessee. She helped Tennessee win NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008, and her versatility made her one of the most highly anticipated prospects in women’s basketball.
The Sparks’ selection gave Parker an immediate opportunity to become the face of a major WNBA franchise. She made an instant impact, winning both the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2008—the first player to win both honors in the same season.
Parker later played for the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces, but Los Angeles was her first WNBA team. The 2008 draft choice is sometimes confused with her later career moves, particularly her 2021 move to Chicago and 2023 move to Las Vegas.