page_title: Candace Parker
section_title: 2012–2013: Comeback and second MVP season
hierarchical_section_title: Candace Parker / WNBA career / 2012–2013: Comeback and second MVP season
caption_attribution_description: English: Russia, Vologda, Candace Parker in game «Vologda-Chevakata» vs «UMMC» (Yekaterinburg) Русский: Россия, Вологда, Кэндис Николь Паркер в матче «Вологда-Чеваката» — «УГМК» (Екатеринбург)
context_page_description: Candace Nicole Parker is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She was the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. In 2016, along with other stars such as Alana Beard and Nneka Ogwumike, Parker helped the Sparks to win their first WNBA Finals title since 2002. In high school, Parker won the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year awards, becoming just the second junior and the only woman to receive the award twice.
  A versatile player, Parker mainly plays the forward position. In college she was listed on Tennessee's roster as a forward, center and guard. Parker was the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game. She set both milestones as a redshirt freshman on March 19, 2006. Parker became the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008. Prior to her first WNBA game, Parker had signed long-term endorsement deals with Adidas and Gatorade.
context_section_description: In 2012, Parker had re-signed with the Sparks to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired. She had played the full season and helped her team to a 24–10 record, making the playoffs as the second seed in the west. In the first round, they beat the San Antonio Stars two games to none. In the Western Conference Finals, against the Minnesota Lynx, the Sparks lost two games to none, while Parker scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had 4 blocks in a must-win game two, which they lost, 80-79, therefore ending their season. Parker was very emotional following the loss, hugging her mother Sara with tears.
  On July 27, 2013, in her sixth season, Parker played in her first All-Star game. She scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a come from behind win for the West and was named WNBA All-Star MVP. The Sparks finished with the same record (24–10) as the year earlier, again earning the second seed in the Western Conference. On September 19, Parker was named the 2013 WNBA Most Valuable Player. Parker became the fifth player to earn multiple WNBA MVP awards, joining Lisa Leslie (3), Sheryl Swoopes (3), Lauren Jackson (3) and Cynthia Cooper (2). The Sparks faced the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference Semifinals. In game one, at Staples Center, the Sparks lost, forcing them to win in game two, at Phoenix to stay in the series. In game two, Parker scored 31 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Sparks to a win, bringing the series back to L.A. for a game three. In a nailbiter, the Sparks lost on a last second jumper by Phoenix rookie Brittney Griner, ending the Sparks' season by one point for the second straight year.
caption: Parker in 2012
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