Candace Parker Urges WNBA Media to 'Educate Ourselves' to Appease Fans

WNBA legend Candace Parker has become a voice of reason for the women's basketball community, as her opinions on several matters (especially regarding Fever star guard Caitlin Clark) of late have really resonated among the sport's fan base.
Parker was featured on a June 3 episode of No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show, and sent a strong message about the media who are covering the WNBA.
"We're seeing that when you are knowledgeable about the sport, and you're able to speak about it in a different way, and you're able to have the debates by backing it up with facts, and not just going any trying to talk about what somebody was wearing or what somebody said. Like, we're really breaking down the game," Parker said.
"I think just in commentating, and in media, we need to continue to educate ourselves, and really be fans of the game, and really follow it to really be able to have an opinion," she added. "You can't just pretend to know the game. People would tear you to shreds if you talked about the Knicks that way, and you weren't knowledgeable. So I think we need to do the same on that end.
"We need to educate ourselves on who's playing, what their strengths are. So that when we watch the game, we can explain it to the fans in a way that is a basketball purist, but also just a grandma that wants to tune in for entertainment," she concluded.
candace parker on media:
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) June 10, 2025
“when you’re knowledgeable about the sport—you debate by backing it up with facts, not just talking about what somebody was wearing or said—you can’t just pretend to know about the game. they’d tear you to shreds if you talked about the knicks that way.” pic.twitter.com/08JXlXQHku
As per usual, Parker certainly has a valid point.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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