16-year-old memory sparks nostalgia in Candace Parker as she shares 3-word reaction after NCAA thriller

Candace Parker will forever remain in the golden pages of women's basketball history. From dominating college basketball to winning the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season of the WNBA, Parker left an indelible legacy when she retired.

Parker played four years of college basketball with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers from 2004-05 to 2007-08. Before she was drafted by the LA Sparks, Parker and the Lady Vols played one of the greatest Final Four games in college history.

The Lady Vols defeated the LSU Tigers in a nail-biting semifinal 47-46. Candace Parker reposted a post by '@wfinalfour' on her Instagram story with a hilarious remark on the long shorts from the era.

"Peep the shorts 😂," Parker wrote in the caption.

[Credit: IG/@candaceparker]

It was the showoff between two of the biggest names in the NCAA Division I history; Candace Parker and the legendary Sylvia Fowles. Parker finished the game with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Shannon Bobbitt also scored 11 crucial points.

For LSU, none of the players scored in double digits except Fowles. She finished the game with 24 points and 20 rebounds. The WNBA legend will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year in June.

Tennessee won the title against the Stanford Cardinal under legendary coach Pat Summitt. It was their second title in two years. Candace Parker won the NCAA Tournament MOP on both occasions.

Candace Parker impressed with Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell's competitive mindset

Candace Parker was impressed with Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell after the latter's recent comments. Speaking to the reporters on Thursday, the first-year coach said that she didn't want to wait for the team to rebuild next season, but wanted to win this season itself.

Caldwell also said she gets a bit offended at any hint of team rebuilding because she took the job with the current players at her disposal.

"I get a little bit offended with, 'You have time to rebuild. You have time to rebuild. These seniors aren't your players,' Caldwell said in the video. "That offends me. They are my players. They chose to stay, and I chose to coach them. And so, I don't want to wait.

"I don't want people to say, 'When you get your players in here.' These are my players. I want to win for them. I want to win right now."

Impressed with Caldwell's competitive mindset, Parker reposted the post on her IG story and wrote that even she would want to play under Caldwell.

"I would want to play for her 🧡🧡🧡," Parker wrote in the caption.

[Credit: IG/@candaceparker]

Kim Caldwell was hired by the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in April last year. Lady Vols have an overall record of 13-2 this season.

Candace Parker played 16 seasons in the WNBA, spending most of her career with the LA Sparks, which drafted her first overall from Tennessee in the 2008 Draft. In her 16 years of illustrious career, Parker won three WNBA titles: in 2016, 2021 and 2023, and a Finals MVP in 2016.

Parker is also the only player in the WNBA history to win MVP and the Rookie of the Year Award in the same season. She won her second MVP in 2013, and the Defensive Player of the Year Award in her last season with the Sparks in 2020.