Sparks F Parker primed for MVP award

Oct 3, 2008 - 2:31 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker will likely have another addition to her trophy case by the end of the day.

Having already claimed Rookie of the Year honors, Parker is the odds-on favorite to claim the league's Most Valuable Player award, which will be handed out Friday during Game Two of the of the WNBA finals in San Antonio.

The No. 1 overall pick in last spring's draft, Parker is in line become the first player in league history to win both honors in the same season.

"It would mean a lot to me, playing in that highest level and actually winning the MVP award," Parker told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

Parker, who led the Tennessee Volunteers to a 64-48 win over Stanford in April's NCAA national championship game, led the WNBA with 9.5 rebounds per game this past season. The 6-4 forward averaged 18.5 points, good for fourth in the league, and her 2.3 blocks was second only to Sparks' teammate Lisa Leslie.

The 22-year-old also made headlines over the summer when she dunked in consecutive games, joining Leslie as the only WNBA player to accomplish the feat and the first to do so twice.

Also was member of the U.S. women's team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics in August, Parker helped the Sparks reach the Western Conference finals, where the club lost to San Antonio in three games.