Candace Parker may still be an active athlete—as she recently joined the Chicago Sky's WNBA basketball team. But that doesn't mean she isn't killing it on the sidelines. She joined NBA on TNT show as a host along with giants, like Shaquille O'Neal, and she proves time and time again why she is the GOAT.
In fact, the popular charismatic duo have been taking over sports fans' hearts with classic commentary to keep us all coming back.
Recently, Candace and Shaq's banter made headlines when co-host Adam Lefkoe asked Parker for her opinion, he referred to her as "reigning Defensive Player of the Year." Which. She. Was. After all, she led the WNBA in defensive rebounds and was in the top 10 for blocked shots per game last season. #hairflip
"You were Defensive Player of the Year?!" Shaq asked. Her quick wit countered in the best way possible as she said:
"Take the surprise out your voice, Shaq."
Classic.
And the best part of it all is this isn't the first, or thirtieth, time she has gotten Shaq's ponytail together. O'Neal argued the WNBA, which is celebrating its 25th season this year, has finally gained popularity as it pushes to be viewed equally alongside the NBA. He then suggested lowering the rim to allow women to dunk. He called it "the final missing piece to make the women's game just as exciting as the men's league."
Well, sis wasn't feeling that whaaaaatsoever as she immediately said:
"Nah."
Shaq continued to plead his case to the panel, to which she didn't care a single bit. After all, she is the first to dunk in a women's NCAA tournament game, and the second ever in the WNBA. She snapped back:
"It's coming...My next child will be drop step dunking."
Let him know!
Honestly though, the best part of seeing them work together is knowing that Black women are making their mark in sports commentating. And not only making a mark, carving it. Read on for 5 other Black women making a name in the sports commentator game.
Jemele Hill lives and breathes sport commentating as former host of 'Number's Never Lie' and 'His & Hers'.
Jemele Hill worked for ESPN for nearly 12 years, before retiring in 2018. She now writes for The Atlantic and co-hosts Vice's Cari & Jemele (Won't) Stick to Sports with Cari Champion (more on her later).
Alex Scott retired and began commentating to move the sport along.
Alex Scott is a British retired football (soccer) player for Arsenal. She commentates for BBC Sport and Sky Sports and was featured during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also covers the English Premier League. Soccer fans are familiar with her resume as she became the first female football broadcaster at a World Cup for the BBC.
Cari Champion leveraged her personality to a highly-sought after voice in sports.
The 6'1'' California Native worked her way up to becoming an anchor for ESPN's SportsCenter and First Take with Stephen A. Smith. She left the network after almost six years in February 2020. She now co-hosts Cari & Jemele (Won't) Stick to Sports with Jemele Hill, and her message has remained the same throughout her career: "Use your platform for good."
Maria Taylor went from volleyball player to sideline reporter.
Maria Taylor is an analyst and host for ESPN and the SEC Network. She covers college football, college volleyball, NBA, NFL, and college men's and women's basketball. She recently made headlines for being selected as the commencement speaker for her alma mater, the University of Georgia.
Taylor Rooks is putting in the work to build upon her own legacy.
Taylor Rooks, the youngest of the bunch at 28, currently appears on Bleacher Report and Turner Sports. Two months out of college, she became an on-air host, reporter, and correspondent for the Big Ten Network. She has built a large social media following and has a long career ahead of her.
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Featured image by Candace Parker/Instagram
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
valentinrussanov/Getty Images
How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images
Candace Parker Has Been Killin' It As An NBA Commentator & We're Obsessed