Candace Parker was probably the primary notable snub from the 2016 Olympics team that still managed to win a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro.
It was three months ago when USA Basketball learned that South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley would succeed Geno Auriemma as head coach for Team USA. According to this NBC OlympicTalk article, Parker only learned of the coaching change fairly recently—as in a few days ago.
I haven’t thought about it.
–Candace Parker
Per the piece, Parker said this prior to the Sparks win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
When it is time to take the five-ring circus to Tokyo in 2020, Parker will be 34. But Diana Taurasi, who currently is 34, will be in her late 30s when the Summer Olympics come back around, and she recently gave a hint that she is open to competing for one more gold.
Parker did rather good for herself in the face of being left off the Olympic team. She claimed her first WNBA championship and won WNBA Finals MVP when the Sparks defeated the Minnesota Lynx in five games in what was a classic clash for the championship.
She did have praise for Auriemma’s USA Basketball successor in Staley.
She’s an outstanding coach winning a national championship.
–Candace Parker
Check out our Instagram page (@BeyondTheW) for photos from the grand opening of McCoughtry’s Ice Cream in Atlanta!
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
