Which WNBA team did 2026 Hall of Fame inductee Candace Parker join in 2008?

Candace Parker joined the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008, beginning her WNBA career with the franchise that selected her first overall that year.

Parker entered the league after a celebrated Tennessee career and immediately became one of the WNBA’s most visible young stars. She won both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in her debut season, an exceptionally rare achievement in professional basketball.

The Sparks had already been one of the WNBA’s strongest early franchises, with stars such as Lisa Leslie. Parker helped keep Los Angeles prominent while developing into an elite forward who could score, rebound, pass, defend, and handle the ball.

Parker later played for the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces, but the Sparks were her first WNBA team. That distinction is different from asking which team drafted her: Los Angeles answered both questions in 2008.