Sparks' Parker meets with Leslie, L.A. media
WNBA
Leslie says it is 'great' to have the WNBA's No. 1 drafted player and doesn't foresee issues as there were when the Lakers had Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
Candace Parker made her debut Friday as a member of the Sparks, a meet-and-greet session with local media inside Staples Center, as well as a formal introduction to her new teammate, three-time WNBA most valuable player Lisa Leslie.
Parker took a morning flight to Los Angeles after a whirlwind week in Florida, where she led the Tennessee women's basketball team to its second consecutive national title Tuesday in Tampa, then was chosen No. 1 overall by the Sparks in Wednesday's draft.
"I'm very tired," she said. "I took a long flight here, but it's just been something that, you're not going to get these hours back. Winning a national championship and then turning around and being drafted No. 1 is an amazing feeling . . . it's too bad that it had to happen, bam, bam, bam, because you had no time to sit back and absorb it."
She'll have little time to absorb life in Los Angeles this weekend, as she's scheduled to attend class Monday night in Knoxville. She plans to graduate from Tennessee in May with a degree in sports management. In between, she'll return to Southern California for the start of training camp April 20.
Although Los Angeles and Knoxville share little in common in terms of size and population, Parker already sees some similarities. At Tennessee, the women's basketball program is so popular, the Lady Vols play their games after the men's.
"Playing for such a big program, with a lot of expectations and just a lot of following, I feel like coming to L.A. is a good change, but in some ways, it's similar," said Parker, who is originally from the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Ill.
Leslie, who took last season off because of pregnancy and the birth of her first child in June, did not officially meet Parker until Friday, but they had been trading text messages. Leslie says she looks forward to being Parker's mentor, both on and off the court.
Men have already approached Leslie at her gym and congratulated her on the addition of Parker, attention the team has never received this time of year.
"Guys, they're into our game, following our sport, but to follow the draft and to follow the NCAA tournament and to really be abreast of what's going on, and now we have the No. 1 player, this is great for our sport," Leslie said. "This is great for women's basketball."
Leslie, 35, doesn't foresee any bitterness, specifically referring to the animosity that developed earlier this decade between Lakers stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
