This year’s edition of March Madness marks the 20th anniversary of Candace Parker making history as the first female player to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game. It was an episode in her illustrious basketball journey that the Tennessee Lady Volunteers great looks back on with a lot of pride and significance.
The date was March 19, 2006 against the Army in the opening round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament at the Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Parker had two one-handed slams against the Black Knights. The first came with less than 10 minutes to play in the opening half. Following a turnover, Parker fielded a pass from teammate Sydney Spencer on the fastbreak and skied for the slam. In the second half, she threw it down again, getting a pass from Nicky Anosike off a give-and-go on the baseline.
The dunks were part of Parker’s impressive comeback after red-shirting in the 2004-05 season after she suffered an ACL tear prior to her freshman season.
In the latest episode of her “Post Moves” podcast with Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston, Parker remembered her historic play, highlighting how wonderful it was coming off an injury.
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“It was crazy because I sat out the whole year before the NCAA tournament because I red-shirted … It was hell that entire offseason and I stayed both summer sessions and I lifted and I got my body right and I finally felt good and I remember being like if I get the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament I’m going to show out,” Parker recalled.
“Dunked twice actually in that game. And the thing that I was most proud of was, you know, obviously the breakaway was cool… I went up to dunk like, you know, I knew I was going to try to throw it down… So, it’s crazy. Time flies,” she added.
Eventful collegiate career
Parker and the Lady Vols reached the Elite 8 in 2006 before losing to North Carolina. She, however, was named SEC Rookie of the Year.
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In her next two seasons at Tennessee, Parker further built up her legend. She led the team to back-to-back national titles in 2007 and 2008 while being named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player each time.
Parker also garnered a number of player of the year awards and All-American accolades. She finished her collegiate career with numbers of 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.9 steals while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
WNBA legend
The do-it-all forward was selected first overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks and continued with her legendary run. In L.A., she was named rookie-MVP in her first year, then won another most valuable player award in 2013.
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She won three WNBA titles in her 16 years in the league, one each with the Sparks in 2016, where she was Finals MVP, another with the Chicago Sky (2021) and with the Las Vegas Aces (2023).
Parker was a seven-time WNBA All-Star, a 10-time All-WNBA Team member and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, among many other individual awards.
She ended her WNBA career with averages of 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals. Her No. 3 jersey was retired by both the Sparks and Sky.
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Parker is a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. The final inductees will be announced during the NCAA Final Four next month.
Considering all she had done in her basketball journey and still doing so in various capacities, it is only fitting that she takes her place among the legends of the sport.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
