7/3/09

She's baaaaaaaack ...

Reigning WNBA MVP Candace Parker made her return to the L.A. Sparks earlier this week after missing the months of May and June on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter Lailaa.
In her rookie season, Parker nabbed the coveted MVP trophy after winning her second straight NCAA title and MVP of that tourney along with a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics. If that wasn't enough in her year, she married Sacramento Kings forward/center Shelden Williams. Simply put, the woman has been busy!
***side note*** I predict that in 13 years this baby is going to be recruited by University of Tennessee for a full basketball scholarship for the class of 2031.
While I am an Atlanta Dream fan, I have been a huge fan of the L.A. Sparks since the very first WNBA season. Since the ladies in the city of angels are off to a 3-5 start, I am glad to see her back in the purple and gold. I do wonder though if it is too soon.
When women are pregnant, their bodies go through so many changes just to carry the baby for nine months and be able to push them out. I've seen instances where women who do office work are out of work three or four months after they have kids. So I wonder, is Parker returning to the court too soon?
I can understand that she wants to get back in shape and everything, but should she be going through the intense work outs and game situations not even two months after giving birth?
In the league's inaugural season, one of the most recognizable names then was Sheryl Swoopes. She was the first player signed to the league but she didn't play a single minute until very late in the season because she was pregnant. She only played nine games that year.
She only took six weeks to recover from the birth of her son, and averaged only 7 points and 2 rebounds a game. The very next year, her point average per game doubled and she grabbed three times as many rebounds. Given those stats, I wonder what it would have been had Swoopes opted to sit out the entire first year.
With Parker, I worry that she's doing too much too fast. I know she's young and she's got that bounce back, but recovery from child birth is not something you want to rush. I'm sure she knows her body, but I just hope her numbers don't suffer. Last year, she averaged 18.5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. I'm anxious to see how this year will turn out for her.
What do you think?

4 comments:

-Q. said...

Homegirl got game. I think this is (by far0 going to be the WNBA's most exciting season to date. I been following since their first year but this season the talent pool and moreso the energy level is so hyped from a strong closing last season that I think the league will pull in some big bucks. She's so fine- alot women athletes tend to leave the femininity at the door when they decide to be athletes.. Im a Shock fan personally, hope she dont dunk on nobody on my team. Ball up! -Q.

Tiffany S. Jones said...

She might still be hype, I think she's hungry for a ring, but like I said, I hope she's not rushing it. She's supposed to play on Sunday.
As for her femininity, I don't really get that. I think a lot of female athletes are viewed as masculine regardless of what they do. Players like Lisa Leslie, Swin Cash, Tina Thompson and even Sheryl Swoopes have been around for a long time but they have been written off as masculine because a lot of their counterparts are masculine. *sigh*
All of this gives me a headache because how good they look in make up and dresses has nothing to do with how well they play.

Sharise Cook said...

I like Candice Parker she's a heck of a player she is one of my role models. I'm looking foward to seeing her play this season.

clnmike said...

It's a short season so I can understand her wanting to get back into the groove.

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