“What a winner,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “Everywhere (Parker) went, she won, and not all of us can say that.”

As the WNBA brings in a new generation of stars and begins a new chapter in the national consciousness, honoring Parker is a reminder of how much of the WNBA history runs through her.

Parker was drafted to one of the league’s original franchises, forming a frontcourt tandem with the Sparks’ first allocated player and current Hall of Famer, Lisa Leslie. She featured in some of the league’s best rivalries as Los Angeles regularly faced off against the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference playoffs and then against the Minnesota Lynx for four consecutive postseasons (two of those matchups coming in the Finals). Her battles against Sylvia Fowles, perhaps the league’s greatest center and the player taken directly after Parker in the 2008 draft, highlighted those series.

Parker was one of the league’s first high-profile free agents to change teams via the terms of the collective bargaining agreement enacted in 2020, and she helped bring Chicago its first WNBA championship. She then finished her career in Las Vegas alongside A’ja Wilson, who grew up idolizing Parker and represents the next evolution among dominant posts.

Throughout her career, Parker set new standards for her peers and those who followed her. Multiple current power forwards like Nneka Ogwumike cite Parker as their inspiration for allowing them to expand their games beyond the back-to-the-basket role. Dearica Hamby, who had a child before her second season like Parker, credited the likely Hall of Famer for making being a mom and a WNBA athlete accessible and cool. Others point to Parker’s success in the media space as an example of how to build a second career even while still playing.

“It’s hard to tell the story of the WNBA without Candace Parker,” said Chicago coach Tyler Marsh, who coached Parker as an assistant in Las Vegas in 2023. “She’s changed the game and inspired so many, not just women, but men as well. Coaches, players, anyone that’s been associated with the sport, she’s made a lasting impact on.”

Parker brought success to all of her stops, from Tennessee to Las Vegas. She didn’t just attach herself to winning situations — she achieved new heights, ones that those programs haven’t managed to replicate. The Lady Vols haven’t won a championship since Parker graduated, and the Sparks have yet to even make the playoffs in the five years since she left. Chicago has been through four coaches in three seasons, and the Aces struggle to recapture their championship identity.

Parker was a unique talent who changed the way the WNBA game looks. Even without her jerseys in the rafters, you can see Parker’s fingerprints in Angel Reese bringing up the ball to facilitate the offense or Wilson extending her shooting range. Parker’s legacy lives on in the play of this WNBA era.

Here are this week’s power rankings:

Three standout performances

1. Mystics’ fourth quarter

The Lynx are the league’s best fourth-quarter team with a plus-23.9 net rating in the final period coming into this week. Even without Napheesa Collier, the expectation was that Minnesota would figure out how to emerge with a win against Washington, especially after the short-handed Lynx had rolled through the Sparks with a late run three days earlier.

Instead, the Mystics suffocated Minnesota in the final 10 minutes, limiting the Lynx to 9 points and one field goal, which came with 8:48 to play, compared to six turnovers. Washington fought hard through screens, keeping Minnesota mostly out of the paint and forcing an offensive foul on a moving screen. Sug Sutton was nearly impossible to clear out at the point of attack. Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin easily jumped out to the perimeter to make passes difficult. The Mystics were a little foul-happy, keeping the Lynx in the game by conceding 12 free throws, but their activity level and aggression on that end were otherwise on point. Getting a young team to be so connected and alert on defense is an impressive accomplishment for Sydney Johnson and his coaching staff.

The last turnover from Minnesota wasn’t even necessarily a takeaway by the Mystics, but they had so thoroughly disrupted the Lynx for 40 minutes that Courtney Williams lost her focus and didn’t catch the inbounds cleanly, allowing Sutton to pounce, pick up the loose ball and score the winning layup. Sutton secured the win by once again keeping Williams out of the paint and forcing one last miss.

Washington has a league-average defense as the youngest team, allowing the Mystics to remain competitive despite offensive struggles. They’ve played the most clutch minutes of any WNBA team, and those learning experiences will pay dividends as this young core continues to grow together.

2. Angel Reese vs. LAS

With Kamilla Cardoso away from the Sky representing Brazil at the AmeriCup, Reese was given the opportunity to play center for extended minutes for the first time this season and acquitted herself reasonably well against Golden State. But Chicago’s defensive identity comes from its two-big lineups (check out Elizabeth Williams’ block party against the Sparks on Sunday), and with Reese back at power forward, she had a historic performance in the Sky’s win.

Reese became the fourth player in WNBA history to post at least 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, joining Parker, Leslie and Tina Thompson. She’s assumed a greater playmaking role in Courtney Vandersloot’s absence and functions well out of the high post. Her seven assists against the Sparks even shortchanged her passing, as she deserved an assist to the cutting Michaela Onyenwere with a laser into the paint.

Reese’s finishing has taken a step up in June, as her 2-point percentage improved from 31 percent in May to 48.5 percent this month, and Los Angeles was powerless to stop her high-angle layup attempts. You never have to worry about Reese playing hard; her motor was a differentiator in both of Chicago’s wins over the Sparks this past week, as the Sky continued to execute down the stretch while L.A. grew stagnant.

The focus on Reese’s efficiency sometimes overshadows what she does at an elite level. Even if she can’t be a No. 1 scoring option, her ability to create possessions is unlike almost anyone else. She overpowered every defender L.A. threw at her, even a fellow All-Star in Hamby. She led both teams in points, rebounds and assists, impacting the game in so many ways. WNBA teams have a full year of tape on Reese, but they haven’t figured out how to take away what she does well.

3. Adopt the possession arrow

This has to be the saddest jump ball I have ever seen. Myisha Hines-Allen flies in for an offensive rebound and battles to keep possession away from Shakira Austin. But once a tie-up is called, Hines-Allen gives the least possible effort on the ensuing jump ball, deliberately violating to move on with the game.

The WNBA doesn’t need this. The amount of time it takes for referees to set up jump balls, to explain the rules of where players can stand, and then to properly execute a throw is too long. There are all sorts of violations between players touching the ball too early, illegally handling the ball before a teammate or simply needing a redo because the toss was improper. There was a violation to start the game between Minnesota and Phoenix earlier this season. If players aren’t interested in even winning the tip, there is no reason to have a jump ball beyond the opening tip. Switch to a possession arrow, and keep the game flowing. Possessions like these are unnecessary.

Rookie of the week

Aaliyah Nye, Las Vegas Aces

Nye continues to be coach Becky Hammon’s preferred choice in the closing lineup alongside Las Vegas’ core four of Wilson, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young and is fifth on the Aces in total clutch minutes. That faith in Nye paid off against Phoenix, as she hit two fourth-quarter 3s to help Las Vegas come back on the road against the Mercury. The threat of her shooting helped clear the paint for Young and Wilson, and Nye even collected a critical rebound as the Aces clung to a 3-point lead with nine seconds remaining. Whether playing so small down the stretch is tenable for Las Vegas is unclear, but Nye is earning her spot by shooting the ball well (5 of 7 on 3-pointers) and playing team defense. The Aces have more trust in their first-year guard than any other rotation options.