Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker, the WNBA’s MVP in 2008 and 2013, has been named the 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Parker claimed the league’s top defensive honor over other top defenders such as Alysha Clark, Alyssa Thomas, and Britney Griner.
Join us in congratulating @Candace_Parker on winning #WNBA Defensive Player of the Year! ? pic.twitter.com/okp0UvvPyt
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 24, 2020
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Congrats @Candace_Parker!
? https://t.co/cds1sJBbqd#GoSparks | #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/Ctuvle8x4j
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 24, 2020
The first-overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, Parker has spent the entirety of her career with the Sparks, claiming a championship and Finals MVP in 2016. Throughout the course of her storied career, Parker has averaged 16.9 points and 8.6 rebounds over 337 appearances.
At the conclusion of the season, the Sparks held the third seed in the WNBA playoffs, holding a record of 15-7 in the shortened WNBA season that took place at IMG Academy due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but were ultimately eliminated in an upset defeat at the hands of the Connecticut Sun.