“Watching Michael Jordan Cross Up Russell”: Candace Parker Credits Bulls Legend for Making Her Fall in Love With Sports

To paraphrase Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Candace Parker put together a basketball career that was pretty, pretty, pretty good. The WNBA legend retired just over a year ago, but before that, she filled her trophy case with two NCAA championships and a National Player of the Year award, a WNBA Rookie of the Year award, 10 All-WNBA selections, two MVPs (one of which came in her rookie year), three rings and two Olympic gold medals.

Parker could do it all on the court. She led the WNBA in rebounding three times and led the league in blocks twice. She made two All-Defensive teams but also averaged 16 points per game and even led the league in assists once. That’s why she was named to the W25 in 2021, a list of the top 25 WNBA players of all time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the league.

Even the best athletes can remember when they first fell in love with sports, and on a recent appearance on Jemele Hill’s Spolitics podcast, Parker revealed the moment that changed the game for her. As a girl who grew up hooping in Illinois and whose family supported the Chicago Bulls, it should come as no surprise.

“I remember sitting on the couch in 1998 and watching [Michael] Jordan cross up Russell,” Parker remembered, “and him doing that bounce after he hit the pull-up jump shot where everybody knew he was gonna hit it.”

“I was already loving sports,” Parker said, “but I wasn’t in love, and at that moment, I feel like I was in love, because I wanted to be the person that was able to take that shot. I wanted to be the person that worked to be on that stage.”

Jordan provided the blueprint for some of the best players to follow his lead, from Kobe Bryant to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and from Diana Taurasi to Parker and Napheesa Collier. MJ retired in 2003, but his influence is still being felt.

Michael Jordan is about to return to the public eye

Although Jordan influenced an entire generation of athletes by what he did on the court, he’s mostly kept a low profile since his retirement. We’ve still gotten some viral MJ moments, though, from his epic Hall of Fame induction speech to his touching tribute to Kobe after his protege’s tragic passing.

The Last Dance really raised MJ’s profile with a younger audience that wasn’t as familiar with his accomplishments. Now, he’s set to become even more prominent, as it was recently announced that he would be joining the NBA on NBC this fall as a special contributor.

Michael Jordan influenced an entire generation of athletes. His magnetism was perfectly conveyed in those old Gatorade ads that said, “If I could be like Mike.” He certainly left his mark on Parker, as well as countless others who went on to play in the WNBA and NBA.

We don’t yet know what his new media role entails, but for basketball fans, it’s an exciting development to have His Airness back in our lives once again.