The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Tennessee Theatre on June 27 was a highlight reel for Lady Vols fans.
Two of Tennessee greatest players helped end the evening when Chamique Holdsclaw introduced generational star Candace Parker as a member of the class of 2026.
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But from the tribute video that opened the program to the outfit worn by Parker, the event was a reminder of the legacy left by Pat Summitt that reaches far beyond the sport she helped build.
The ceremony took place one day before the 10th anniversary of the death of the legendary coach who died at age 64 from early-onset Alzheimer’s. She won 1,098 games and eight national championships for the Lady Vols.
Earlier in the day, Tyler Summitt brought his children, Breck, Rocky and Lakelyn, to explore the hall of fame and watch their grandmother’s famous halftime locker room speech at the exhibit bearing her name.
When the ceremony started, Tyler Summitt’s tribute video established the recurring message of the evening.
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“A lot has happened in the 10 years since mom passed,” Tyler Summitt said. “But one thing hasn’t changed. The impact she continues to have on so many people.”
A moment of silence followed, led by host Debbie Antonelli, a 2022 hall of fame inductee.
“Because of Pat Summitt, this game is stronger,” Antonelli said. “Because of Pat Summitt, this hall exists as a living celebration of the women and men who built and continue to build our sport.”
The tributes extended into the ceremony.
And justifiably at the end when Parker was introduced by Holdsclaw, the Lady Vols’ all-time leader in total points and rebounds who won three consecutive national championships playing for Summitt from 1996-98.
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All of Parker’s basketball achievements are too long to mention. She was a two-time NCAA champion at Tennessee under Summitt from 2004-08, a two-time WNBA MVP, and a three-time WNBA champion who became the only player in league history to win a title with three different franchises.
The two will be enshrined together in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Aug. 15. Both players had their numbers retired by Tennessee.
Holdsclaw, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018, opened with a nod to both her roots and her former coach. In New York, she said, the saying is “word is bond.” At Tennessee, she said, Summitt taught her to be impeccable with her word.
Before calling Parker to the stage, Holdsclaw reflected on the things she had watched her become beyond basketball: A mother, a woman who championed other women every step of the way and someone who leads with voice and purpose.
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“Welcome, my little big sis, Candace Parker, to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame,” Holdsclaw said.
She recalled a later in-game moment during her last season in the WNBA, when Parker, then with the Los Angeles Sparks, answered her defense in the mid-post with footwork “we really hadn’t seen in women’s basketball yet.”
“That was the moment I realized that the game had changed,” Holdsclaw said, adding that Summitt had once told her she had found “the next game changer” in Parker.
Parker, in her speech, told the audience she first saw what was possible at Tennessee when Holdsclaw became the first woman to grace the cover of SLAM magazine.”You made me want to wear orange,” Parker told her.
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The most unexpected tribute, though, had been visible all along. Parker’s white, sleeveless jacket with an orange stripe down the center was her version of an iconic Summitt sideline look, with the shoulders cut and made her own.
“Pat was one of one,” she said. ”The giant of all giants. And though gone 10 years tomorrow, she’s still leaving a lasting impact we all can and should draw from. The state of women’s basketball today is because of Pat Summitt and her vision.”
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony was a reminder of Pat Summitt’s legacy
