SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — There are certain college programs that echo through the walls of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. UConn, Kansas, Kentucky — and without a doubt, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. And if one were to think of the most iconic players who wore the orange and white for legendary coach Pat Summitt, almost certainly, Chamique Holdsclaw and Candace Parker would be two of the top names.
On Saturday night, the catalysts for a combined five national titles entered the Hall as part of the same enshrinement class.
After leading Tennessee to three straight titles from 1996 to 1998, the Naismith Committee voted Holdsclaw the collegiate player of the century. She won the gold medal at both the 1998 FIBA World Championships and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and was a six-time WNBA All-Star.
Parker won national titles in 2007 and 2008. Months later, she won the gold medal in Beijing and was the WNBA MVP in her rookie season. She collected another Olympic gold at London in 2012 and championships with the Sparks in 2016, Sky in 2021 and Aces in 2023.
“Going into a class with her, I think Pat is definitely smiling down,” Parker said of Holdsclaw. “She was on the SLAM cover, and she was on my wall when I was a kid. I wanted to be like Chamique Holdsclaw. She moved differently. Her athleticism was unmatched. She could stop on a dime — just the purity of her game.”
Holdsclaw remembered hosting younger players like Tamika Catchings at Tennessee. She noted that when Summitt told her about Parker, she predicted Parker would change the game.
“I’ll never forget the first time I met Candace,” Holdsclaw said. “She walked in the door, and I was like, ‘That’s like an NBA player.’ She played above the rim, and I played at the rim. If you take the skills that I had and took it to another level, that is Candace.”
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
Catchings welcomed both players on stage during the ceremony at Symphony Hall. It goes without saying that Summitt — who died in 2016 — would have been there as well.
“I know she would be on stage with both of us,” Parker said. “Right now, the messages I tell my kids are things she said to me. Everybody has goals, but what lifestyle are you willing to commit to to reach those goals.”
Holdsclaw mentioned that nearly every big name coach in the country came to recruit her in the Astoria, Queens housing projects of New York City. She said the atmosphere was intimidating for many, but Summitt commanded respect.
“Coach Summitt walked up to the building, and they parted like the Red Sea,” Holdsclaw joked. “She just carried a presence. There was a great relationship with player and coach. She was tough. At times, I was like ‘This lady is crazy.’ She wanted to get every ounce of talent out of you. When you went on the court, it was business, and there was no joking around. As soon as you left that court, she was hugging you, very motherly. She recruited a certain type of kid. If you get us all around, you will notice a common theme in our demeanor and personality.”
While Parker entered the Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility, the wait was much longer for Holdsclaw. She last appeared in the WNBA with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2010 and was a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2018.
“Ive been doing a lot of advocacy work for 15 years,” Holdsclaw said of her present-day life. “This year, I decided to get back into sports. I am on USA Network doing the WNBA. I still want to serve the people. My family is Chippewa Cree, and I want to do more on the reservation. I am a person of service. When you take care of people, they take care of you.”
‘Rare Gems’ is out now!
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.”
Also entering the Hall of Fame this year is Elena Delle Donne, who was a contemporary rival of Parker’s in the WNBA.
“She was the one I was looking up to and having her game,” Delle Donne said of Parker. “Being her size and having ball skills, being able to pass the ball like a point guard. That was something I wanted to do. You had to pressure her because you didn’t want her to find her teammates. She was a headache to guard.”
Holdsclaw was the initial speaker of the evening, while Parker was the closer. Joking throughout, Parker choked up towards the end of her speech, which featured her passing a basketball to presenters Catchings, Cheryl Miller, Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade on stage.
“When you put the ball down, it’s a death in a way,” said Parker, who endured 10 knee surgeries during her career. “You can look at it in a new life, and I think this is a celebration of that life. I don’t think anybody picks up a ball and thinks ‘I’m going to be a Hall of Famer.’ To be able to get the call and be a part of this group is unbelievable.”
