Candace Parker
A force to be reckoned with on the court, Candace Parker had been recognized for her prowess as a basketball player since her teens. Playing for Naperville Central High School, she led her team to two Class AA state titles and became the only two-time award winner of the USA Today High School Player of the Year. Parker also earned a spot on the USA Women's U18 team, with which she won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Parker would be named Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, WBCA All-American, and McDonald's All-American before her high school career was over. She would then move on to enroll at the University of Tennessee, where she helped the Lady Vols win the SEC tournament championship in 2006. Her college career would also boast her as the the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game. During this time, Parker was the only college player named to the USA squad for the 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women in Brazil. After graduating in 2008, Parker was selected as the first pick in the WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She was voted the WNBA MVP that same year, shortly before she joined the USA Women's Basketball team, with whom she won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing. She would repeat this victory at the 2012 Olympic Games in London before being voted MVP again in 2013.