Candace Parker discusses early basketball career with Flau'jae Johnson, opens up on being "almost hesitant" to use marquee skill

Candace Parker, a three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is one of the best there has been in women's basketball.

Standing at 6-foot-4, Parker had a dominant physical presence and an ability to dunk. She was the first to dunk in the NCAA women's tournament and was the second player to slam in a WNBA game.

Speaking with LSU's Flau'jae Johnson on the "Best of Both Worlds" podcast last week, Candace Parker revealed she was reluctant to show her dunking ability early in her career.

"For me, I was kind of at a battle with myself because I didn't want to just be known as the girl who could dunk. I thought there was so much more to my game than just dunking. So I was almost hesitant," Parker said.

"There were so many times where I just laid it up because I want people to see that I can pass, that I can dribble, that I can score that I can do all these things."

Candace Parker played four seasons of college basketball at Tennessee, where she won two national championships. She then declared for the WNBA draft in 2008 and was picked by the Los Angeles Sparks.

The St. Louis, Missouri native played most of her WNBA career in Los Angeles. However, she also spent one or two seasons with Chicago and Las Vegas toward the end of her career.

Candace Parker shuts down claims about WNBA being more physical now than before

Candace Parker spent sixteen seasons in the WNBA, emerging as one of the elite players to have played the game.

The future Hall of Famer has seen the game evolve over time and she took issue with the narrative that the modern WNBA is more physical than it previously was.

"Google some of the WNBA brawls, that's crazy," Parker said on Flau'jae Johnson's podcast.

"You said it's more physical now? Parker chuckled. "No, absolutely not. Next question. That is crazy. More physical than college yes, but is it more physical than it was before? Hell no."

"Now, I think you can't touch anybody until the playoffs. In the playoffs, you can touch people but in the regular season, you'll be fine at the weight you're at."

Candace Parker played in an era with more physical players like Tina Charles, Rebecca Brunson, Tisha Pinnechero, and others.