It doesn’t happen often in this tragic universe we live in, but every now and then, karma works in a way that makes you do nothing but thank the supernatural forces at work. A Candace Parker vs. Geno Auriemma feud that dates back eight years ago is part of that.
Parker announced her retirement from the WNBA on Instagram Sunday after 16 years in the pros. In the process, she gets to walk away with the last laugh against the hall of fame UConn Huskies women’s basketball head coach who pulled off one of the most vindictive stunts of all time.
Back in 2016, the Tennessee Lady Vols legend was a two-time gold medalist and a two-time WNBA MVP, having won one since her last gold medal in 2012, back in 2013 to be exact. She dominated the Olympic trials for the USA Women’s basketball team that year and was likely a lock to go.
However, Auriemma was coaching that team. He did let her on the 2012 team, which he coached as well, but he couldn’t ignore her then, as she was 26, in her prime and widely considered the sport’s best player. Four years later, though, he could fall back on her age, as she turned 30, despite how hollow that was.
Well, he did just that, ignoring Parker’s success on the court and her dominating the trials. The reason is pretty obvious. Auriemma to this day is bitter that Parker chose to play for the Lady Vols over his team and the Huskies. She never lost to UConn, and he never won a national title while she was in college. Let Parker tell the story.
At the time, this was the highest level of salt in the wound possible. Remember, UConn had just won its fourth straight national title and was in the midst of what would turn into an NCAA record 111-game winning streak. On the other hand, the team was announced less than three months before Pat Summitt would pass away due to Alzheimer’s.
Yes, Auriemma was that vindictive. He decided to humiliate Parker by falling back on her age, as she had turned 30 eight days before the team was announced, all because she didn’t commit to play for him. This decision came as Summitt was dying of Azheimer’s. Team USA winning the gold seemed like Auriemma’s way to get the sickest revenge.
Eight years later, the women’s basketball Gods have struck back. Maybe Summitt, having crossed over to the other side, summoned her spirit to intervene. What’s clear, though, is since that moment, everything has gone Parker’s way, and Auriemma has been cursed.
The very year Auriemma pulled this snake move, Candace Parker won her first WNBA championship and WNBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Sparks. Auriemma, for his part the following season, would see his national title streak and winning streak come to an end with an upset loss in the Final Four to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Four years after that, she won WNBA Defensive MVP, and a year later, she signed with the Chicago Sky and captured her second WNBA title with them. For what it’s worth, despite her being hurt, she did walk away with a ring last year after the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA title, even if she did only play 18 games.
What has happened with Auriemma on the other side? Well, he’s turned into a bit of a choke artist coach. In 2018, for a second straight year, he lost a Final Four game after an undefeated season. In fact, three straight years in a row, UConn lost in the Final Four, then when they seemed to have the best team again, COVID canceled the 2020 postseason.
Since COVID, Auriemma has made three Final Fours and one national title game, but he hasn’t won it. Injuries decimated his team this past year. The year before that, though, he lost in the Sweet Sixteen, ending a Final Four streak that dated back to 2008, Parker’s last year in college.
Now, Auriemma has gone eight straight seasons without a national title, his longest drought since winning his first national championship in 1995. Before then, he had never gone more than five years. For her part, Parker has become just a bigger and bigger star, analyzing NBA games and covering March Madness.
Taking all this into account, as Candace Parker walks away from the game, it’s safe to say she got the last laugh against Auriemma and his vindictiveness. Amidst all the bitterness in the rivalry between the Tennessee Lady Vols and UConn, this should stand out. It was a twisted decision by Auriemma in 2016. Parker is now laughing at him for it.
