Sparks' Candace Parker Named 2013 WNBA Most Valuable Player

-- All-Star Wins Award for Second Time in Six-Year Career -- NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2013 – Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks has been named the 2013 WNBA Most Valuable Player, the WNBA announced today. Parker received 234 points (10 first-place votes) from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Candace Parker in Pictures: 2013 MVP Season | Through the Years
This marks the second time Parker has won MVP honors in her six-year WNBA career. As a rookie in 2008, she became the first player in WNBA history to earn both MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. Parker becomes the fifth player to earn multiple WNBA MVP awards, joining Lauren Jackson (three), Lisa Leslie (three), Sheryl Swoopes (three), and Cynthia Cooper (two).
This season, Parker guided the Sparks to a 24-10 record, tied for the second-best mark in the league, and the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. She ranked fourth in blocks (1.84 bpg), sixth in scoring (17.9 ppg), seventh in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and double-doubles (eight), and 12th in assists (career-high 3.8 apg). She paced the Sparks in scoring, rebounding and blocks, while ranking second on the team in assists and steals (1.29 spg). Parker scored at least 20 points 13 times, including a season-best 30 points in a 94-78 win over Tulsa on July 11.

After the Sparks started the season 5-4, Parker’s strong play in July led the team to a 7-2 mark for the month. In those nine July contests, Parker averaged 19.8 points and 9.0 rebounds while earning Western Conference Player of the Month honors. She scored at least 20 points in six of the nine games and averaged 23.2 points over two weeks (five games) to earn back-to-back Western Conference Player of the Week awards. Overall, she earned three Player of the Week awards this season, increasing her career total to 13.
Also in July, Parker was crowned MVP of the 2013 Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game after setting a scoring record with 23 points. Her stat line for the star-studded event included 11 rebounds and 10-for-13 shooting from the field as she led the Western Conference to a 102-98 victory over the East.