Candace Parker reminisced on the special connection she had with legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt as she sat on the stage of the Tennessee Theatre in December.
Parker drew a round of applause from the audience during the the event when the former Lady Vols star declared women’s basketball is on the stage it is now because of Summitt.
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Fans who couldn’t attend the show on Dec. 11 in person will be able to watch “Celebrating Pat Summitt: Live reunion special” on television. The hour-long special produced by Omaha Productions will be aired on March 29 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Knox News was provided with an exclusive clip from the show of Parker talking about Summitt’s lasting legacy.
“We can’t even put into words what she’s doing (for women’s basketball), but what she’s doing for Alzheimer’s is far greater than that, and I think she understood that,” Parker said. “That, to me, is the power in coach, like she understands that it’s not about you, and whatever door she walked into, it wasn’t about her.
“It was about people, and it was about passion, and it was putting that forward. And so to me, I am grateful, because I want to be a torchbearer of that. I want to carry that forward. My goal is for all of us to continue to pass on that legacy.”
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The live show, which ran for two hours, was a panel moderated by ESPN’s Holly Rowe. Parker was joined on the panel by fellow former Lady Vols Nikki Fargas and Andraya Carter, as well as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. The five women shared stories that produced laughs and a few tears about the coaching legend who died in 2016.
The air date falls on the same day that ESPN2 will air a new documentary on Summitt, produced by “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts. The documentary, which is called “Breaking Glass: The Pat Summitt Story,” and premiered on Hulu on March 25, will also air on ESPN2 on March 29 and April 5 on ESPN.
Summitt won eight national championships in 38 seasons as Tennessee coach. She retired in 2012 as the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history with a record of 1,098-208.
Summitt was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011 at 59. She coached one more season before retiring. Summitt died on June 28, 2016 at 64.
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The Pat Summitt Foundation continues to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Watch exclusive clip of Candace Parker from Pat Summitt reunion airing March 29
