Candace Parker joins Turner Sports as NBA & NCAA commentator

You know what’s good? Good news. A good example of that kind of thing is Candace Parker being hired as a national commentator.

If you’ve watched a national NBA game in the last few years, you know how it can go. The game starts, they talk about the game for a bit, eventually Jeff Van Gundy sees something he doesn’t like, Van Gundy begins complaining about that thing for 25-47 minutes, it starts out funny then gets old, Mark Jackson is also old and starts comparing the thing Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t like to how things were done when Jackson played, the whole experience of watching the game that’s on right now begins to sour, and by the end of the night you wonder where Doris Burke is and why she’s not there instead. It’s a time-honored tradition at this point, and one wonders when it might change. Here’s a start: Candace Parker was just hired.

Parker’s main role will be as a contributor in TNT’s Player’s Only broadcasts, but her additional assignments are many and varied. This is deserved. Parker’s on-court resume cannot be oversold from her multiple NCAA Tournament wins, to her multiple Olympic Gold Medals, to WNBA Champion and Finals MVP, to the only player to win league MVP in their rookie season. Her qualifications are stellar. That doesn’t even touch on the fact that she has an interesting perspective and easy manner in offering deep basketball knowledge to idiots like me who aren’t good at understanding things.

One also hopes that this will be a step in bringing in more casual basketball viewers to the WNBA. The women’s league has no shortage of talent and personality. If anything, there’s an indulgence. Parker is a wonderful choice for helping bring attention to the WNBA’s many appreciable offerings. I’m looking forward to it, and you should too because A) I told you to and B) it’s something you shouldn’t have to be told.