Candace Parker on 2016 IMPACT25 honoree Nneka Ogwumike

ByCandace Parker, as told to Ramona Shelburne ESPN logo

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Nneka Ogwumike had a phenomenal season, but I wasn't surprised. I've seen this for years. I've always known Nneka was supertalented and that she plays with an unbelievable passion.

It's not surprising how well she played, because that's what she's capable of. You know how it's the day before a game and there's a ball going out of bounds and you don't dive for it because you have a game tomorrow? Nneka will dive for it. There's no chill button.

In a drill, there's no, "You take it easy, I'll take it easy." There's none of that. And you kind of get to a point where you do what she does. I think everybody kind of took on her identity a little bit.

Nneka doesn't get upset when she doesn't get shots. She just goes and gets it. That's kind of what she's done her whole career, but this year [she was named WNBA most valuable player], we just got her shots. Coach Brian Agler always said that all we needed to do was have practice time together so we could come together and take advantage of our strengths. That's truly what happened. We got on the court and figured out how to really feature her. [The Sparks won their first WNBA championship since 2002.]

She's always been a good friend and supporter. She helped me understand that it's OK to be vulnerable. She often would say, "We know you can do everything. Let us help you!" If somebody else would say that to me, it'd be like, "What do you mean?" But with Nneka, I knew genuinely that she meant it and it's coming from a really good place.

I think she understands where I come from and my journey. She kind of bridged the gap between me and the world. I don't really show myself to a lot of people. And she was the one who said, "It's OK. Show yourself."

We were in Minnesota when she got elected president of the WNBA players' union. I went over to congratulate her and she was like, "You know I ran unopposed?"

I laughed. "That's even more of a congratulations, because nobody else would step forward and do it," I said.

She wants to spark change and affect things positively. The WNBA can really grow in the right hands. Nneka doesn't just play in the WNBA, she plays overseas, so she's going to protect the rights of both types of players.

There were things that were done in the collective bargaining agreement, before this, that basically swayed it to the advantage of players that only played in the WNBA. We can't ignore the fact that you make your living overseas. I know that's something she's thinking about.

She definitely cares about the world. She's very passionate about making sure things are the right way. That's her biggest thing: making sure things are fair. Whoever you are, whatever you are, if you work hard, you can get out of it what you put in.