One of the greatest players to ever step foot in the WNBA has been making history since her first season in the league. Chicago Sky legend Candace Parker is still to this day the only female to have won both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player Award in their first season.
The three-time WNBA champion and former Sky forward has been a part of the broadcast panel for the NBA. Parker has been featured alongside NBA legends Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, as well as Ernie Johnson before. Now, the graduate of Naperville Central High School will be on a new panel covering WNBA games and more with Michael Grady.
Parker joined the Sky in 2021. She won her second of three WNBA championships while helping the franchise in her hometown area win their first and only title.
What this announcement means for Parker, Prime Video, and the WNBA
Jared Stacy is the global head of production at Prime Video Sports. He commented on the news about Parker and Grady joining the broadcast team.
“We’ll have Michael and Candace leading our ‘W’ game coverage,” Stacy said. “We’re still working through the rest of it.”
In terms of WNBA coverage, Prime Video will exclusively broadcast 30 WNBA regular-season games every season, worldwide. This includes the Championship Game for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Grady, Parker’s broadcast partner, is an accomplished broadcaster himself. He is a long-time announcer for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. He has also worked on platforms such as ESPN, Amazon, and more.
Stacy also added that “there will be dedicated studio coverage of the league. Given the number of games, Prime Video will ultimately need at least one more broadcasting team.”
Richard Deitsch of The Athletic reported that the deal between the WNBA and Prime Video “gives Prime Video exclusive WNBA postseason games for the first time, including one first-round series each year, plus seven semifinal series, and three WNBA Finals over the course of the 11-year deal. Previously, Disney (ESPN) aired the entirety of the league’s postseason.”
Parker continues to grow a career in sports journalism and broadcasting since retiring from the WNBA before the 2024 regular season. She goes from playing in the All-Star Games and WNBA Finals to now covering them for Prime Video.
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