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Candace-Parker
Courtesy of TNT Sports

Candace Parker is staying in the game at Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports, even though the playing field is shifting.

Parker originally joined the Warner sports outlet in 2019 as an NBA analyst and commentator who also worked during the company’s coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Under a new deal, however, she will pivot to focus on a broader set of properties. She will continue as a studio analyst for the NCAA championship, broadcast jointly with CBS, and will also work as lead analyst for TNT’s inaugural seasons of Big East and Big 12 basketball. Parker continues as a lead studio analyst for TNT’s coverage of the Unrivaled women’s basketball league, and as a Bleacher Report contributor.

Because she has been a part of TNT’s coverage for several years, “it has become kind of like a family,” says Parker during a recent interview. And getting to lend insight into both college basketball and Unrivaled, she adds, “is kind of the best of both worlds.”

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Keeping Parker on the roster is a coup for the company, and not only because telecasts of Unrivaled gained traction in the league’s first season. With NBA rights leaving Warner after decades for new use under Amazon’s Prime Video and NBCUniversal, analysts and play by play experts have been in high demand. Indeed, Parker has taken up NBA duties for the former.

Parker is a singular figure in the world of sports. She led the University of Tennessee to consecutive NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008, then joined the Los Angeles Sparks. She won MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, and led the team to a WNBA Championships in 2016, 2021 and 2023. She was elected to seven All-Star teams during her career, and helped Team USA Women’s Basketball win gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She is part of the NWSL’s Angel City FC ownership group.

She says she’s eager to develop new skills in the world of sportscasting. “I would love to continue to try to expand into hosting. I really enjoy that challenge,” says Parker, who notes she’s “really impressed” with the work Michael Strahan has done.

Fans know her from appearances on “The NBA on TNT” and other analysis, but if they’re into college sports, they are going to see more of Parker quite soon.

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