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100-451: The starting lineup for each squad is selected by a combination of fan, player, and media voting, while head coaches choose the reserves , seven players from their respective conferences, so each side has a 12-man roster. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players. If a selected player cannot participate because of injury, the NBA commissioner selects a replacement. Traditionally,

200-785: A WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award ( 2013 ), two Olympic gold medals ( 2008 , 2012 ), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award ( 2008 ). She got selected to six All-WNBA teams and five All-Star teams, and was the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards in the same season. Parker became the second player to dunk in a WNBA game on June 22, 2008. Since 2018, Parker has been an analyst and commentator for TNT Sports , providing coverage for NBA games on TNT and NBA TV and for

300-463: A " bathroom bill ", which was seen as discriminatory against transgender persons. As a result, the NBA announced that it would move the game to another city if the bill was not repealed or revised. After North Carolina took no action, on July 21, 2016, the NBA announced that the 2017 game would be moved to New Orleans. In March 2017, after several provisions of the bill were partially repealed, the NBA awarded

400-530: A "bubble" at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Parker started all 22 games for the Sparks. She posted a 51% field goal percentage, her best since 2011, and averaged 14.7 points per game. She led the league in rebounding (9.7 per game) and recorded a league-leading 10 double-double performances. The Sparks earned the third-seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs , but lost a single-elimination game to

500-496: A 15-year-old sophomore at Naperville Central High School. This is believed to be the first slam dunk by a female athlete in Illinois. On March 29, 2004, Parker won the slam dunk contest at McDonald's All-American Game , becoming the first woman to win the event and beating the likes of Josh Smith and J. R. Smith . On November 11, 2003, during her senior year, Parker announced her commitment to Tennessee on ESPNEWS , becoming

600-499: A 3.35 grade-point average as of December 2007, she was named University Division I Academic All-American of the Year in women's basketball for 2008 by the College Sports Information Directors of America. While at Tennessee, she compiled a record of 100 wins and 10 losses and averaged 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game. Parker was selected as the first pick in

700-546: A 70–60 victory over the Atlanta Dream. The Sparks ended up finishing as the number 3 seed with a 22–12 record, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second-round elimination game, the Sparks defeated the defending champions Seattle Storm 92–69. However, in the semi-finals, the Sparks were eliminated in a three-game sweep by the Connecticut Sun . In the 2020 season , which was shortened and took place in

800-561: A January 28, 2007, away game against Alabama, in her sophomore season, Parker became the fastest player in Lady Vols history to score 1,000 career points. She achieved the record in 56 games, beating Chamique Holdsclaw 's mark of 57 games and Tamika Catchings 's of 58 games. On March 1, at the SEC tournament in Duluth, Georgia, Parker was named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year. On April 3, she led

900-462: A basketball game with 108,713 people attending at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This shattered the existing attendance record previously held at Ford Field on December 13, 2003, when 78,129 attendees watched Michigan State play Kentucky . The 2017 All-Star Weekend was originally awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina. On March 23, 2016, North Carolina passed House Bill 2 , also known as

1000-563: A career-low in scoring but led the league in rebounding by the end of the season. Parker helped the Sparks get to the Western Conference Finals, but lost in three games to the eventual champions, the Phoenix Mercury . In the playoffs, Parker averaged 18 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. In 2010, Parker played only 10 games and was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury; she would also miss

1100-482: A center. At least ten minutes before the game is scheduled to begin, the scorers need to be supplied with the name and number of each player who is to participate in the game. The various positions are not mentioned anywhere in the official NBA rule book, and most players play more than one position. The starting lineup on a basketball team usually comprises five positions and is called the 2-1-2 lineup (2 guards, 1 center, 2 forwards): In American college basketball ,

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1200-419: A combination of fan, player, and media voting. In 2017, the NBA moved from a pure fan vote to a weighted process wherein fan voting accounts for 50%, with player and media voting account for 25% each. Prior to 2013 , fans selected two forwards and one center instead of generic frontcourt players. The NBA in 2003 began offering All-Star ballots in three languages—English, Spanish and Chinese—for fan voting of

1300-565: A come from behind win for the West and was named WNBA All-Star MVP. The Sparks finished with the same record (24–10) as the year earlier, again earning the second seed in the Western Conference. On September 19, Parker was named the 2013 WNBA Most Valuable Player . Parker became the fifth player to earn multiple WNBA MVP awards, joining Lisa Leslie (3), Sheryl Swoopes (3), Lauren Jackson (3) and Cynthia Cooper (2). The Sparks faced

1400-472: A commonly used formation is 4-4-2, which means there are 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. Some formations may list 4 numbers, which usually differentiates between defensive and attacking midfielders, e.g. 4-2-3-1 would mean 4 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 3 attacking midfielders, and 1 striker. In Australian rules football , a team starts with eighteen players on the field. The traditional positions are as listed below, however in modern football

1500-491: A defensive back. Since most of the positions are essentially identical to those in American football, only the main differences will be listed here. Positions generally similar to those in American football. Gaelic football and hurling , as well as ladies' Gaelic football and camogie , use the same starting lineup. Teams consist of one goalkeeper and fourteen outfield players (underage teams may play 13-a-side, omitting

1600-615: A dislocated shoulder in the regional final, Parker led the Lady Vols to their second straight NCAA women's title, the eighth championship for Tennessee and the last for legendary coach Pat Summitt . She was also named the Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive NCAA tournament, joining Cheryl Miller , Chamique Holdsclaw , and Diana Taurasi as the only female players to have done so. She graduated with her incoming class in May 2008. A sports management major who had

1700-534: A hamstring injury during the Sparks' first preseason game and was ruled out 3–5 weeks. Parker made her season debut on June 18, 2019, she scored 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field in an 81–52 loss to the Washington Mystics. On August 4, 2019, Parker scored a season-high 21 points in an 83–75 victory over the Seattle Storm. On September 3, 2019, Parker tied her season-high of 21 points in

1800-430: A left corner back (4). Players sometimes swap positions during a match and there are sometimes tactical variations in formation, such as dropping one of the six forwards back to provide a third midfielder. Up to five substitutions are allowed during normal time (and another three if there is extra time), from a bench of 9 or sometimes 11 substitutions; substitutions are not numbered in any particular order. In ice hockey ,

1900-425: A position. In American football since the 1950s, most upper level teams use a three- platoon system , each with its own starting lineup. The starting lineups for offense and defense, each with eleven players, typically get the most attention. The starting lineups are defined as the eleven players who take the first offensive or defensive play from scrimmage of a given game. (An offensive player does not have to be on

2000-700: A regulation WNBA game, against the Indiana Fever . The dunk was on the same basket as Lisa Leslie's. On June 24, 2008, she became the first player to dunk twice in their WNBA career, during a regulation game against the Seattle Storm . Parker was named the Hanns-G 'Go Beyond' Rookie of the Month for the months of May and July 2008. On July 9, 2008, Parker scored a career-high 40 points, along with 16 rebounds and 6 assists, in an 82–74 overtime win against

2100-568: A row, setting up a rematch with the Minnesota Lynx. In Game 3 of the 2017 WNBA Finals , Parker set the record for most steals in a Finals game with 5 steals along with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in a 75–64 win, putting the Sparks up 2–1 in the series. However, the Sparks would lose the next two games, failing to win back-to-back championships as they lost to the Lynx in five games. On July 10, 2018, Parker made history with

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2200-581: A school-record 2,768 points (22.9 points per game) and 1,592 rebounds (13.2 rebounds per game) while starting 119 of the 121 games in which she played. She is the only two-time award winner of the USA Today High School Player of the Year, winning the award in 2003 and 2004. Parker also won the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award and Gatorade Female Basketball Player of the Year Award in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, she

2300-402: A starting lineup is announced for each team before the game. Starting players are designated as either centers , forwards , or guards . A team can name at most one center, but otherwise any combination of positions is allowable, as long as five players are named. Lineups of three guards, one forward, and one center, or of three guards and two forwards, are the most common alternate lineups. In

2400-587: A stat line of 21 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks in a 77–75 overtime victory against the Seattle Storm, making her the first player in WNBA history to achieve such a stat line. On July 15, 2018, Parker scored a season-high 34 points along with 11 rebounds and 9 assists in a 99–78 victory over the Las Vegas Aces . On July 19, 2018, Parker was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game , making it her fifth all-star nomination. Parker finished off

2500-419: A team starts out with six players on the ice: The starting forwards are typically known as the top line or first line , as most professional teams rotate four distinct three-man forward lines and three defense pairings. In ice hockey, a team must submit their starting lineup to the opposing team's captain and to the officials before the game. If a team inserts any other player into the lineup at game time,

2600-435: A team starts with seven players on the court: A Rugby league football starting lineup is Rugby union starting lineups consist of: The starting lineup for a volleyball match typically includes: Variations do exist – sometimes there will be two setters, or three outside hitters without a true opposite. Though the libero is typically announced with the starting lineup, the libero is not considered to be part of it, as

2700-555: A victory. In an emotional post-game interview, she dedicated the season to Summitt. With a supporting cast of Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver , the Sparks were a championship contender in the league, finishing 26–8. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Sparks were the number 2 seed in the league with a double-bye to the semi-finals (the last round before the WNBA Finals) facing the Chicago Sky . The Sparks defeated

2800-414: A winner-take-all Game 5. The Sparks would end up winning the decisive Game 5 on the road, that ended with a game winning close range shot by Parker's teammate, Nneka Ogwumike, who put the Sparks ahead 77–76 with 3.1 seconds remaining after grabbing an offensive rebound. The Sparks claimed their first championship since 2002. After the game, an emotional Parker uttered the words "this is for Pat," implying that

2900-532: Is "most advantageous for the All-Star team", regardless of where the player is listed on the All-Star ballot or the position he is listed in box scores. If a player is unavailable for the game due to injury, the NBA commissioner selects a replacement for the roster. If the replacement is for a fan-selected starter, the All-Star Game coach chooses the replacement in the starting lineup, and is not limited to

3000-468: Is limited. The final score is generally much higher than a competitive NBA game. If the score is close, the fourth quarter becomes more competitive. The fourth quarter was changed in 2020 to use the Elam Ending . In normal Elam Ending rules, the game clock is turned off with four minutes remaining and a target score is set; whoever reaches the target wins the game. In 2020, the NBA took the score at

3100-567: Is longer than a typical NBA game partly due to musical performances by popular artists. The first such halftime show happened in the 2000 game, with Kenny Wayne Shepherd , Mary J. Blige , 98 Degrees , Montell Jordan , Martina McBride , and LL Cool J performing. List of each All-Star Game, the venue at which it was played, and the Game MVP . Parenthesized numbers indicate multiple times that venue, city, or player has occurred as of that instance (e.g. "Michael Jordan (2)" in 1996 indicates that

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3200-507: Is played under normal NBA rules with some differences. Since the starting All-Stars are selected by fans, players, and media, players sometimes start the game at atypical positions. For instance, in the 2007 game, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady were chosen as the starting Western Conference guards. As both players normally play shooting guard , Bryant started the game as a point guard . Gameplay usually involves players attempting spectacular slam dunks and alley oops and defensive effort

3300-452: Is termed a starting 11 (starting eleven) or starting XI. The starting 11 or starting XI is a list of the players who will actively participate in the game when the match begins. The starting 11 consists of 11 players, with 1 designated goalkeeper . All other positions are optional, and teams can vary the player formations they use. The formation are often described using the numbers of defenders , midfielders and forwards . For example,

3400-549: The 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks on April 9, 2008, one day after winning the NCAA title. She played alongside Olympic teammates Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton-Jones . Shannon Bobbitt, Parker's teammate at Tennessee, joined the Sparks after being drafted in the second round. On May 17, 2008, in her debut game against the Phoenix Mercury , she had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Her 34 points broke

3500-407: The 2011 WNBA All-Star Game . Six weeks later, she returned and played the remainder of the season, but the Sparks were eliminated from playoff contention with a disappointing 15–19 record. In 2012, Parker had re-signed with the Sparks to a multi-year deal once her rookie contract expired. She had played the full season and helped her team to a 24–10 record, making the playoffs as the second seed in

3600-675: The Boston Garden on March 2, 1951, where the Eastern All-Stars team defeated the Western All-Stars team, 111–94. Boston Celtics' Ed Macauley was named as the first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player , and the All-Star Game became a success, drawing an attendance of 10,094, much higher than that season's average attendance of 3,500. In 2010, the NBA All-Star Game set the attendance record for

3700-562: The FIBA 3x3 World Cup the game is played 3 on 3, and the positions can be a mix of guards, forwards, and centers. In Canadian football , a team starts with 12 players on offense, 12 players on defense, and a special teams squad of 12 players for punts, kickoffs, and extra point attempts. As in American football , most of the special teams players are starters or bench players for offence or defence. Because of substantial differences between

3800-607: The Houston Comets . Parker was one of 11 people suspended in the Sparks-Shock brawl on July 21, 2008. In August 2008, the WNBA suspended play for a couple of weeks to allow their players to join the national teams at the 2008 Summer Olympics . Parker was selected to go, and the US team cruised with eight straight victories to win the gold medal. Parker averaged 9.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and scored 14 points in

3900-627: The NCAA men's basketball tournament . Following her retirement in spring of 2024, Parker was named president of Adidas women's basketball. Parker was born on April 19, 1986, in St. Louis , Missouri . She has two older brothers, including former NBA basketball player Anthony Parker . Parker and her family moved to Naperville, Illinois , at the age of two, where she spent her childhood. Her family loved basketball and she began playing at an early age. Her father Larry played basketball at Joliet West HS and

4000-496: The Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference Semifinals. In game one, at Staples Center, the Sparks lost, forcing them to win in game two, at Phoenix to stay in the series. In game two, Parker scored 31 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Sparks to a win, bringing the series back to L.A. for a game three. In a nailbiter, the Sparks lost on a last second jumper by Phoenix rookie Brittney Griner , ending

4100-528: The University of Iowa in the 1970s. The Parker family were also Chicago Bulls fans. Candace was worried about playing basketball, fearing she would not live up to the level of play her father and brother demonstrated, so she focused on playing soccer. It wasn't until the eighth grade that her family convinced her to play basketball. Her father helped coach and critique her. Parker said of the experience, "He did things to make me mad, to challenge me, because I

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4200-487: The University of Tennessee in the fall of 2004. On February 17, 2005, Tennessee announced Parker would redshirt her first season due to a knee injury she had suffered in a summer league game. Parker started for the Tennessee Lady Vols during the 2005–06 season. She was listed on the roster as a forward, center, and guard. On March 19, 2006, in an NCAA tournament first-round game against Army , she became

4300-453: The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and NBA G League (G League). Starting lineup In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters , whereas the others are substitutes or bench players. The starters are commonly

4400-562: The 2006 Kodak All-America team, making her one of the few to ever receive the award as a freshman. However, in the NCAA tournament regional finals against North Carolina , Parker got in early foul trouble and was out of the game for much of the first half. Tennessee ultimately lost the game. Parker was the only college player named to the USA squad for the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women in Brazil . The USA squad finished in third place. In

4500-460: The 2019 All-Star Weekend to Charlotte. On October 3, 2017, the NBA and NBPA announced changes to the game format, starting in 2018 . Instead of being divided by conference, the top vote leaders for each conference would be team captains and hold a draft to choose among the rest of the starters and reserves, regardless of conference. In 2023, Candace Parker became the first woman color commentator for an NBA All-Star Game. On October 25, 2023,

4600-542: The Aces on a one-year contract. On April 28, 2024, Parker announced her retirement from professional basketball via her Instagram account. On May 8, 2024, Adidas declared that Parker would become the brand's president of women's basketball; she has had a long-running brand partnership with the shoe company dating back to 2008 that included a signature sneaker line. Parker was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won

4700-437: The All-Star break with an unexpected 10–13 record. Immediately after the break, head coach Carol Ross was let go and General Manager and former player, Penny Toler , assumed the position of coach for the remainder of the season. Parker led her team to finish with a 16–18 record and clinched the number 4 seed to head to the playoffs for the 14th time in franchise history and 6th time for Parker. Despite enormous effort from her in

4800-425: The Lady Vols to their first national championship since 1998, beating Rutgers 59–46. Parker finished the game with 17 points and earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honor. On February 21, 2008, Parker announced that she would forgo her final season of eligibility at Tennessee in order to focus on the 2008 Olympics and pursue a professional career in basketball. On April 8, 2008, despite having suffered

4900-567: The NBA All-Star Game pitted the top players from both the Eastern Division / Eastern Conference and the Western Division / Western Conference . From 2018 to 2023 , the teams were represented by the leading vote-getter from each conference and each player regardless of conference was chosen to either team via a draft. The teams also play for a charity of their choice to help the games remain competitive. The head coach of

5000-478: The NBA brought back the conference-based format for the 2024 All-Star Game . The untimed fourth quarter (known as Elam Ending ), which had been in used since 2020 in honor of Kobe Bryant , was also removed. However, the charity aspect was retained, with the team that scores the most points in each quarter winning a cash prize that went to their chosen charity. The starting five from each conference consists of three frontcourt players and two guards , selected by

5100-501: The Olympics, helping them win another gold medal, defeating France 86–50 in the gold medal game. Despite her performance in the previous Olympics and participation in the national team training into the summer of 2016, Parker was not selected to play for Team USA in the 2016 Summer Olympics . USA Basketball extended an invitation to Parker for the 2017–2020 national team training camp, but she declined, in light of her exclusion from

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5200-570: The Sky 3–1 in the series, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2003. In the WNBA Finals, it was only the second time in league history where two teams from the same conference faced each other in the Finals due to the new playoff format, as the Sparks faced the championship-defending Minnesota Lynx . This finals series proved to be the best the WNBA had ever seen, with Parker being at

5300-501: The Sparks after 13 seasons, signing a 2-year deal with the Chicago Sky . The move to the Sky gave her the opportunity to play a little closer to home and compete for another championship. Parker stated "Chicago is where my family raised me; where I first learned the game of basketball; and where I first fell in love with this orange ball.....I am excited to continue the next chapter of my career where it all began. To my new teammates, my new organization, and my new fans: I'm home." During

5400-455: The Sparks had acquired Tina Thompson and Betty Lennox to help carry the team during Parker's absence. On June 30, Parker returned to practice with her teammates. She played her first game back from maternity leave on July 5, 2009. Parker was named to the All-WNBA second team and All-Defensive second team, despite having missed almost a full month due to her maternity leave. She had averaged

5500-530: The Sparks repeated the same regular season success as last year as the number 2 seed in the league with a 26–8 record, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Sparks defeated the Phoenix Mercury in a 3-game sweep. The series ended on a game-winning layup by Parker with 2.9 seconds left in Game 3, putting the Sparks up 89–87 as they advanced to the WNBA Finals for the second season in

5600-499: The Sparks' season by one point for the second straight year. In January 2014, Williams Group Holdings abruptly announced they would relinquish their ownership of the Sparks. For a brief time, the Sparks future in Los Angeles was in some jeopardy. Despite major uncertainty, a month later the team was purchased by an investment group including Magic Johnson , with promises of bringing a championship to Los Angeles. The team went into

5700-498: The Sparks. During the 2017 season, Parker was voted into the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game , making it her fourth all-star nomination. On July 28, 2017, Parker became the sixth player in league history to record a triple-double in an 85–73 win over the San Antonio Stars as she scored 11 points, tied her career-high of 17 rebounds along with a career-high 11 assists. She would finish the season averaging 16.9 points per game, as

5800-473: The Year awards, becoming just the second junior and the only woman to receive a Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award twice. As a college player for Tennessee , she led the team to two consecutive national championships ( 2007 , 2008 ), was named the Final Four's most outstanding player in both occasions and was a two-time consensus national player of the year . As a redshirt freshman , she became

5900-476: The best players on the team at their respective positions. Consequently, there is often a bit of prestige that is associated with being a starter. This is particularly true in sports with limited substitutions, like baseball or association football (soccer). When listing a team's lineup, it is common in some sports to include each player's uniform number and their position, along with their name. Position are often designated by abbreviations that are specific to

6000-473: The championship win was in honor of Pat Summitt. Parker won her first championship and won Finals MVP . In Game 5 of the series, Parker had scored a game-high 28 points along with 12 rebounds. Also in 2016, Parker was named in the WNBA Top 20@20 , a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary. In February 2017, Parker signed a multi-year contract extension with

6100-546: The commissioner's addition to the roster. Multiple All-Star players can be chosen from one team, with the record being four. This has occurred nine times, the first such instance being in 1962 , when four players each from the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers were chosen. The most recent game with four All-Star players from one team was the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 game. The game

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6200-475: The end of three quarters and added 24 points (in honor of Kobe Bryant, who had been killed in a helicopter crash a month prior). With Team Giannis leading Team LeBron 133–124 at the end of the third quarter, the target score was 157 points, and Team LeBron won the contest. The player introductions are accompanied by significant fanfare , including lighting effects, dance music, DJ's, elaborate portable stages, and pyrotechnics . Special uniforms are designed for

6300-493: The extra fielder is known as a "rover." The designated hitter (DH), when used, is designated with the number zero. In variants of the game where all nine positions plus a designated hitter must bat, the designated hitter is instead known as an extra hitter (EH). In the National Basketball Association (NBA), two starting players are traditionally announced as guards, two as forwards, and one as

6400-414: The fall of 2009. The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these players. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team traveled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational. Parker played for Team USA at the 2012 Summer Olympics . She led the team in rebounds and blocks throughout

6500-401: The field), and the standard lineups have developed largely through tradition, experimentation, trial and error. The third phase, special teams , generally designates only a few positions as "starters"; other than these specialists the other positions on the field are taken up as secondary positions by players who normally play offense or defense. In association football , the starting lineup

6600-579: The final game. On October 3, 2008, Parker became the first WNBA player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player awards in the same season, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld as the only professional American basketball players to win both ROY and MVP trophies in the same season. Parker missed the first eight games of the 2009 WNBA season after giving birth to her daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams. By this time,

6700-594: The first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game. After being selected in the WNBA Draft, Parker signed long-term endorsement deals with Adidas and Gatorade . In 2016, Parker led the Sparks to win their first WNBA Finals title since 2002 and won the WNBA Finals MVP Award . In 2021, she helped the Sky win their first title . Parker won two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards ( 2008 , 2013 ),

6800-464: The first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game, then became the first woman to dunk twice in an NCAA tournament game. She was the SEC Rookie of the Year (Coaches and AP) and helped the Lady Vols win the 2006 SEC tournament championship . With 17 seconds remaining in the SEC tournament championship game against LSU , Parker hit the game-winning shot. She was named tournament MVP and was named to

6900-533: The first women's player to announce the oral commitment live on the network. In August 2004, Parker led the undefeated USA Junior World Championship team to a gold medal with 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. While training, Parker had a relapse of knee pain and was required to undergo surgery both the lateral meniscus and the lateral articular cartilage in her left knee. She wears the number 3 on her jersey to honor former NBA player Allen Iverson who encouraged her during her high school career. Parker entered

7000-441: The forefront of the Sparks' success. For Game 3, in Los Angeles, Parker put up her best performance of the finals thus far, contributing 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists to help the Sparks take a 2–1 series lead, with a dominant 92–75 win. This put Parker one win away from her first title, as the Sparks already had one victory in their hands. However, the Lynx upset the Sparks on their home court in Game 4 with an 85–79 win, forcing

7100-437: The full back and full forward positions). Teams lineup in six lines, with the goalkeeper furthest back and the full-forward line closest to the opposing team's goal. Players play on the left or right of the field looking in the direction they are attacking. Position numbering is fixed and positions are set up so that every attacker has a corresponding defender: for example, a right corner forward (jersey number 13) will be marked by

7200-713: The game each year, usually red for the Western Conference and blue for the Eastern Conference. From 1997 to 2002, players could wear their normal team uniforms. The "host conference" also traditionally has light uniforms, except from 2010 to 2014. In the past, players who wore the same number were given the option to pick a different numeral. For example, Patrick Ewing , who normally wore #33, ended up wearing #3 early in his career as Larry Bird also had that number. Since 1997, players can keep their uniform numbers. A major recording artist typically sings " O Canada " and " The Star-Spangled Banner " prior to tipoff. Halftime

7300-503: The game's development. Several positions (indicated with * in the list below) are mandatory and must appear in any lineup, starting or otherwise. Others can be used or unused at the discretion of a team's coach, provided that no more than 11 players are on the field at any given time and at least seven (usually exactly seven) are positions along the line of scrimmage. In addition to the center, guards and tackles, at least two ends (be they tight ends or split end wide receivers) must also be in

7400-694: The gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico . The event was held in August 2004, when the USA team defeated Puerto Rico to win the championship. Parker was the leading scorer for the team, averaging 16.6 points per game. Parker played for Team USA in 2008 , winning her first gold medal as USA beat Australia 92–65. Parker was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in

7500-405: The league to host an exhibition game featuring the league's best players, similar to Major League Baseball 's All-Star Game . Although most people, including Podoloff, were pessimistic about the idea, Brown remained confident that it would be a success, and he offered to host the game and to cover all the expenses or potential losses incurred from the game. The first All-Star Game was hosted at

7600-414: The libero will replace one of the above players (typically a middle blocker, as teams will want to split their middle blockers, with one beginning in the front row) before the first rally. Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986), nicknamed " Ace ", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she

7700-400: The lineup. In recent history the 4-3 defense (4 defensive linemen plus 3 linebackers) formation has been standard among college and professional squads. However, the 3-4 (3 defensive linemen plus 4 linebackers) formation is becoming more popular among professional and NCAA Division I teams. Unlike offenses, defenses have no restrictions on positions (as long as no more than 11 players take

7800-406: The opposing captain can direct the official to call a starting the wrong lineup penalty , a two-minute minor. The starting lineup in field lacrosse comprises ten players: 3 Attackmen, 3 Defensemen, 3 Midfielders, and 1 Goalkeeper. A team may start a Long-Stick Midfielder for a defensive advantage. A team may have a player reserved exclusively to take face-offs, known as a FOGO. In netball ,

7900-500: The players are organised into three main groups, forwards, midfielders and defenders, each consisting of between four and eight players. Only four midfielders from each team are allowed to start inside the centre square , the other 14 players can start anywhere on the field. The starting lineup in baseball comprises either nine or ten players. In the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball , there are nine players in

8000-410: The players who, for instance, take part in the opening kickoff are typically not considered starters. The player positions dictate certain responsibilities and privileges in regard to handling the ball . A uniform numbering system restricts players' ability to change positions in the middle of the game. The offensive lineup is heavily restricted by rules that have been adopted over the course of

8100-412: The playoffs. In 2011, Parker played her first six games. During the seventh game, with 5:56 left in the third quarter, Parker went down after grabbing a defensive rebound and making brief contact with Quanitra Hollingsworth . After getting an MRI on June 27, she found out she had a torn meniscus in her right knee. She had been voted as an All-Star during the season, but the injury would cause her to miss

8200-436: The record for a rookie in a debut game, previously held by Cynthia Cooper with 25 points in her debut game in 1997. It is a record that still stands to this day. On May 28, 2008; Parker posted a 16 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks, 5 assists, and 5 steals, becoming the only woman in WNBA history to post a 5x5 stat line. On June 22, 2008, she became the second woman in WNBA history—after her teammate Lisa Leslie —to dunk during

8300-591: The season, Parker averaged 15.3 points per game, becoming the team's second option next to Nneka Ogwumike who led the team in scoring and won the MVP award . However, in late June, Parker's college coach and mentor, Pat Summitt , died at the age of 64 from Alzheimer's disease . That night, against the Dallas Wings , Parker had an incredible performance in the second half, finishing the game with 31 points, and had her season high of rebounding with 13, guiding her team to

8400-400: The season, Parker was named to The W25 , consisting of the 25 players considered by a panel of media and pioneering women's basketball figures to have been the best and most influential in the league's 25 seasons. The regular season ended with Parker and the Sky earning the #6 seed in that season's playoffs. They won two single elimination games, followed by an upset of the Connecticut Sun in

8500-402: The season, averaging 17.9 ppg and the Sparks finished as the number 6 seed with a 19–15 record. In the first-round elimination game, they faced the rival Minnesota Lynx, in which they won 75–68 to advance to the second round. In the second-round elimination game, the Sparks lost 96–64 to the Washington Mystics, ending their run of two consecutive finals appearances. In May 2019, Parker suffered

8600-588: The semifinals, before beating the Phoenix Mercury to win the 2021 WNBA Finals . In February 2023, Parker signed with the Las Vegas Aces. She underwent surgery for a foot fracture in July and was out indefinitely. She captured her third championship when the Las Vegas Aces won the 2023 WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty , taking the series 3–1. On February 7, 2024, Parker re-signed with

8700-457: The series, they lost 72–75 in Game 1 and 93–68 in Game 2 to the eventual champions the Phoenix Mercury, marking the second consecutive year the Mercury knocked the Sparks out of the playoffs in the semi-final round. Parker averaged 19.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in the regular season. In 2016, Parker re-signed with the Sparks as an unrestricted free agent. During

8800-583: The seventh-seeded Connecticut Sun in the second round. Parker was named Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in her career. However, she was controversially left off the first and second WNBA All-Defensive Teams . The discrepancy arose because media members vote on the Defensive Player of the Year Award while coaches vote on the All-Defensive Teams. In 2021, Parker became an unrestricted free agent. She chose to leave

8900-467: The sport (for example, in American football ; "SS" for strong safety ). In both baseball and basketball , it is common for a player's position to be denoted by a number, for example: in baseball scorekeeping the shortstop position is "6", while in basketball the small forward position is known as the "three". Thus, the lineups for some sports can include a uniform number, the player's name, and an abbreviation (consisting of letters or numbers) denoting

9000-402: The starters. NBA coaches vote for the reserves for their respective conferences, but they cannot choose players from their own team. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category. If a multi-position player is to be selected, coaches are encouraged to vote for the player at the position that

9100-417: The starting lineup and all players bat . American League , National League (MLB) and Pacific League (NPB) teams have the option of using a designated hitter (DH) in place of the pitcher in the batting order . The DH does not play when the team is on defense. In softball , where ten players are in the field, the tenth is usually placed in the outfield (OF); if placed between the infield and outfield,

9200-409: The team that gets possession first to be considered a starter, nor does a defensive player have to be on the team that does not; the first play from scrimmage after the first change of possession counts as well.) The third platoon, special teams , in modern times is composed mostly of backup and reserve players from the offensive or defensive platoons, with the exception of the placekicker or punter ;

9300-401: The team with the best record in each conference is chosen to lead their respective conference in the All-Star Game, with a prohibition against consecutive appearances. Known as the "Riley Rule", it was created after perennially successful Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley earned the right to coach the Western Conference team eight times in nine seasons between 1982 and 1990. The coach of

9400-423: The team with the next best record gets to coach instead. The idea of holding an All-Star Game was conceived during a meeting between NBA President Maurice Podoloff , NBA publicity director Haskell Cohen and Boston Celtics owner Walter A. Brown . At that time, the basketball world had just been rocked by the college basketball point-shaving scandal . To regain public attention to the league, Cohen suggested

9500-668: The two codes – most notably the larger field and only having three downs to advance the ball 10 yards instead of four – offensive formations are somewhat different in the Canadian game. Most notably, tight ends are almost completely absent in Canada. The Canadian Football League has an additional rule that at least seven of the 24 offensive and defensive starters in a game be Canadian citizens. These seven starters can be of any position except quarterback. Defences are broadly similar to those in American football, with an extra player used as

9600-603: The west. In the first round, they beat the San Antonio Stars two games to none. In the Western Conference Finals, against the Minnesota Lynx , the Sparks lost two games to none, while Parker scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had 4 blocks in a must-win game two, which they lost, 80–79, therefore ending their season. Parker was very emotional following the loss, hugging her mother Sara in tears. On July 27, 2013, in her sixth season, Parker played in her first All-Star game. She scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in

9700-471: Was his second All-Star MVP award). As of the 2024 All-Star Game (the 2023–24 NBA season), the Eastern Conference leads with a record of 38 wins and 29 losses. Note: Venue names are listed as of the date of the All-Star Game. The All-Star Game is the featured event of All-Star Weekend , and it is held on a Sunday night. All-Star Weekend also features popular exhibition games and competitions featuring NBA players, celebrities, and alumni as well as players from

9800-456: Was named Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, WBCA All-American and McDonald's All-American . She participated in the 2004 WCBA All-America Game where she scored nine points. She was also a consensus pick as player of the year in Illinois in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and was a four-year member of the All-State first team. On December 27, 2001, Parker dunked for the first time in competition as

9900-413: Was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks . She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky , and one season with the Las Vegas Aces , winning a championship with each team. A versatile player, Parker mainly played the forward and center positions. In high school, Parker won the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of

10000-620: Was so much more athletic and had so much more knowledge of the game than everyone else that sometimes I just coasted. If me and my dad went to a park and he didn't think I was practicing hard enough, he'd just get in the car and leave. And I'd have to run home. I mean run home. Once I figured that out, I'd always try to go to close-by parks." Like her older brother Anthony Parker , she attended Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Illinois . Parker led her high school basketball team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004, and compiled

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