Candace Parker's legacy and impact goes beyond basketball

I’ll never forget watching Candace Parker growing up. I had a travel basketball tournament down in Naperville when I was maybe 8-9 years old. I was already hooked on the game to where I was reading the Chicago Tribune sports section for local games.

I read about Candace Parker as one of the best players in the area and was just fascinated that a girl was in the sports section. I thought she was just so cool (sounds dorky now but it’s true).

So flash forward to this tournament and no joke, in walks Candace Parker. I recognized her immediately from the paper. I turned to my mom and said, “Mom, that’s the girl from the paper! That's Candace Parker! Can we please please please watch her play?”

My mother, being the awesome mom she is, let me stay to watch just a little over a quarter. We were already down there 5-6 hours and had to make the drive all the way back up to the Northside of the city. 

And in that moment, I was in awe. I sat there off to the side of the bleachers at Nequa Valley High School and just watched her hoop. How she moved, how she dribbled, her fadeaway. All of it. I studied it all. She graduated high school later that year. 

From that point on, I followed her game all throughout college. I watched her highlights from the McDonald’s All-American game. She truly became a hero of mine to where I said I wanted to go play ball under Pat Summitt at Tennessee. I became a student of the game of basketball because of Candace Parker. 

Candace is how I found out about the WNBA. I didn’t know there was a pro women’s league until people started saying how she could get drafted and I was like "Wait there’s a pro league?" Then, the Chicago Sky was founded in 2006, and I was at their first game. For the first time I saw women playing basketball at a pro level in person, and that's when I knew I wanted to be in the WNBA. I got to meet that entire roster, got autographs and took photos. I couldn't believe that I could hoop in my hometown as a pro.

When Candace got drafted, I instantly became a Sparks fan. I would watch highlights when I could because the games weren’t broadcasted in Chicago or really anywhere frankly. I did what I could to follow the game of basketball. I always told myself that I would eventually meet her one day. 

Flash forward to 2022, and I’m working in Chicago covering my first season of the Chicago Sky team who had Candace Parker on the roster. I’ll never forget watching her play so close to me at Sachs, and the little girl in me was GEEKING y’all. Like you have no idea. 

I got to interview her, but I would freeze up sometimes; I wanted to make sure my questions were correct, poised, articulate and about the game of basketball. I never wanted to cross the line of reporter and fan, because I have a job to do at the end of the day. 

That same season, Candace was set to sing the stretch at Wrigley Field. I was working the Cubs game that day. It was a HOT Chicago Summer day to where I had to change polos in the middle of the day. It’s around the 7th inning and one of my former executives pulls me aside and said, “Did you see the text Mike sent you?” I said, “No what did he say?”

I look at the phone and I see a text saying “Hey, do you want to come up to the booth and meet Candace Parker?”

Y’all. 

When I tell you I became Usain Bolt…I sprinted across the street and up the ramps and staircases, all the way to the press booth. Candace was already on headset chatting with JD & Boog. Unfortunately, that interviewed got dragged out because of gameplay. So I’m standing in the back, out of breath, nervous as all hell and coming to terms that I’m about to actually meet my hero in a non-professional way. 

The top of the 7th ends. Candace crushes the stretch. Then, she walks back to where I’m standing. 

Mike goes, “Candace, this is Karli Bell, our Sky reporter. You’ve probably seen her around at a practice or two and a few games.”

I shake Candace’s hand, and I knew this would be the only moment I would have to tell her how important she was to me as a kid. 

My vision gets blurry with sweat dripping down my face but I push through and say, “Candace, I watched you in high school. You’re how I found the WNBA, and I’ve followed your career since I was kid. I just want to say thank you for being an inspiration to all the little girls out there and the little girls here in Chicago who saw that we could play, too.”

She smiles and looks at me and says, “That means so much to me. Thank you.”

And after that conversation, my boss captured this picture. 

I knew they had an 11 a.m. game the next day so she was on her way out with her family. I said to her, “Get some rest and ready to see you hoop tomorrow.” She flashes a smile, and she walks out of the booth. 

I wait until her entire family is not within vision or earshot, and I collapse to my knees and start sobbing. I could not wrap my head around the fact that I just met THE Candace Parker. As I stood up and gathered myself, I’m greeted with Boog & JD just smiling and grinning ear to ear going, “How was that?!?” I turned to Mike and I said, “Thank you. You just let me meet my hero. I cannot thank you enough.”

I gather myself and go back to working the rest of the Cubs game. 

The next day rolls around, and I’m back in reporter mode. I’m internally just beaming, because I just met CP but can’t let it show on my face. 

Players are out stretching and getting their shots in. I see Candace as I get situated on the baseline. She turns to me and goes “Hey Karli.” 

I respond back, “Hey Candace. Hope you got some sleep.” She laughs and gets back into pregame prep. 

Internally, I was screaming, “OH MY GOD CANDACE PARKER KNOWS MY NAME.” 

That’s the impact CP had on the game of women’s basketball and basketball as a whole. She had such influence on so many little girls - myself included - and showed that you can do this. Anything you put your mind to, you can do it. 

She laid the groundwork. Without CP, I wouldn’t have found the W. Without CP, I wouldn’t have followed and studied the game of basketball. Without CP, so many women after her wouldn’t have had the opportunities to build on the immense growth of game she started.

Candace Parker is Chicago, and she is Chicago basketball. That's solidified as her No. 3 jersey will hang in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena today and Wintrust Arena later this year.

From one little girl on the Northside who’s been chasing a dream, thank you Candace. Thank you for proving the saying “you should never meet your heroes” wrong. I’m forever grateful I not only got to meet you but got to cover you and see you hoop for a whole season courtside. Forever blessed and I wish you nothing but the absolute best in your future.

I truly believe you’d make an excellent professional coach, but I hope we some day get to share a desk together and get to talk hoops. 

Thank you for your strength, courage, charisma, humor, and straight up baller attitude. You may be from Naperville but you’re forever a Chicagoan.