What unique 2008 achievement did Candace Parker accomplish in the WNBA?

Candace Parker became the only WNBA player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season in 2008.

Parker made an immediate impact after entering the league as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft. She won the Rookie of the Year award and the regular-season Most Valuable Player award during the same campaign, a combination no other WNBA player had previously achieved.

Her early professional success followed a decorated college career at Tennessee, where she won two NCAA national championships. Parker later added WNBA championships, Olympic gold medals, and a WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award to her résumé.

The distinction is easy to mix up with Finals MVP. Parker won WNBA Finals MVP in 2016, but her unusual rookie-season pairing was the regular-season MVP award plus Rookie of the Year in 2008.