Candace Parker has begun rehabilitating her right knee

Candace Parker said Thursday evening that she is rehabilitating the torn lateral meniscus in her right knee for 2 1/2 hours every day in an attempt to reduce the swelling and regain her range of motion.

"My knee is feeling good," she said. "I'm weaning off the crutches."

Parker said her 2-year-old daughter, Lailaa, is helping her keep her spirits up by sometimes kissing her hurt knee or touching it lightly while saying "amen."

"Right after I got hurt, she made me smile," Parker said of Lailaa.

Parker injured her knee on June 26 while trying to dribble around New York's Quanitra Hollingsworth. She fell to the ground, writing in pain, and immediately feared she had torn the anterior cruciate ligament.  

An MRI exam the following day revealed the injury wasn't as severe as she anticipated. Parker is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

"I was relieved," Parker said.

After being selected MVP and rookie of the year in 2008, Parker has played in only 35 of a possible 68 regular-season games because of pregnancy and injury. Parker said she's anxious to return to the Sparks -- who are on a four-game losing streak and have fallen to fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 4-5 -- but said she's going to listen to her body and allow it to fully heal before pushing herself again.

"I've learned to just continue to set goals for myself," she said.

Well, that and her doctor has intervened.

"I'm not allowed to be in the gym," she said, with a laugh.

RELATED:

Sparks fall to 0-5 on the road with loss to Mercury

L.A. drops another game at Connecticut

Parker to miss six weeks with injury

--Melissa Rohlin

Photo: Sparks forward Candace Parker tries to save the ball from going out of bounds during a playoff game against Seattle in 2009. Credit: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

WNBA: Candace Parker has knee surgery

The Sparks' Candace Parker had knee surgery on a torn lateral meniscus Wednesday morning at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Center in Los Angeles.

Parker's knee rehabilitation is expected to take four to six weeks, but the 6-foot-4 forward, who missed much of the 2010 WNBA season due to shoulder surgery in June, isn't expected to be cleared to play full contact basketball until December.

"I'm so happy to have been able to have this surgery," Parker said in a news release. "I had my shoulder repaired in June and now my knee is taken care of. I feel great and am looking forward to my rehab as I prepare to play my first completely healthy WNBA season in 2011."

Parker, the 2008 rookie of the year and league MVP, averaged 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in the 10 games she played in 2010.

-- Melissa Rohlin

Spotlight on Candace Parker: Life after shoulder surgery

Candace Parker has a lot of weight on her injured shoulder.

She underwent shoulder surgery just six weeks ago, and already the Sparks marketing campaign features a photo of her with the catchphrase: "I'll be back, will you?"

Parker dislocated her left shoulder in June after grabbing a defensive rebound. She was not touched on the play but immediately walked toward the Sparks bench, grimacing from the pain.

"It was the worst pain ever," she said.

It was not the first time Parker injured that shoulder. In 2008, her senior year at the University of Tennessee, she dislocated it during the NCAA tournament regional finals. She played through the pain, though, and was drafted to the Sparks later that year. She went on to win the rookie of the year award and was named the league's most valuable player, but her shoulder problems never disappeared.

"My shoulder got to the point where it was coming out when I was sleeping," Parker said.

She had planned to have surgery at the end of the 2010 WNBA season, but after dislocating her shoulder yet again, she realized she could no longer put off the inevitable.

"I just feel thankful and blessed that it's even an option for me to have this surgery," Parker said. "Fifteen years ago, I wouldn't be playing."

Sitting at home hasn't been easy for the star athlete, who was averaging 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds before the injury.

Sparks star Candace Parker's No. 3 is No. 1 in WNBA

Candace Parker was unable to help the Sparks against Phoenix on the court on Tuesday, but the injured superstar did help Los Angeles to defeat its rival in merchandising.

Parker's No. 3 Sparks jersey was the league's top seller for the second straight year, the WNBA announced Wednesday. It is also the bestselling WNBA jersey in the history of both the NBA store in New York City and WNBA.com. 

Before she dislocated her left shoulder on June 13, Parker was averaging 20.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The Sparks are 1-6 without her.

Retired Sparks forward Lisa Leslie's No. 9 jersey was the third-most-popular seller on the list, which was based on sales from October 2009 through June 2010.

The Sparks also topped the list of overall merchandise sales, with Phoenix in second.

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR PLAYER JERSEYS:

1.    Candace Parker – Los Angeles Sparks

2.    Diana Taurasi – Phoenix Mercury

3.    Lisa Leslie – Los Angeles Sparks

4.    Becky Hammon – San Antonio Silver Stars

5.    Janel McCarville – New York Liberty

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR TEAM MERCHANDISE:

1.    Los Angeles Sparks

2.    Phoenix Mercury

3.    San Antonio Silver Stars

4.    Seattle Storm

5.    New York Liberty

-- Laura Myers

The Sparks are going to wait to make a move

Sparks Coach Jennifer Gillom said the team has decided to wait until after an upcoming two-game road trip to decide whether to sign free agents.

Gillom had said Monday that the team was interested in signing a center immediately because Candace Parker, who had been playing the center position, will undergo surgery on a dislocated left shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.

However, Gillom said Tuesday that the team has decided against making any moves until after the road trip that ends Sunday.  

"We wanna see if this works," Gillom said. "We haven't given it a chance. They've only played one game without Candace."

Gillom said she's still very interested in pursuing free agent Courtney Paris, a 6-foot-4 center who was waived by the Chicago Sky last month.  

"I think Courtney would probably be a player who could help us, but I don't want to make that decision quickly," Gillom said. "I want to make sure we give this team a chance to step up on their own. Once you start adding people or subtracting people, the team mentality changes. Right now, we just want to see what our team does."

The Sparks (3-8) will play at Washington (7-4) on Thursday and at Atlanta (9-4) on Sunday.

-- Melissa Rohlin

Candace Parker will have shoulder surgery and is out for the season

Candace Parker, the WNBA's rookie of the year and most valuable player in 2008, will have surgery on her dislocated left shoulder and will be out for the season, dealing a devastating blow to the struggling Sparks.

A Sparks spokeswoman said Thursday night that the surgery will be scheduled "in the next few weeks."  Parker, who is expected to be out for four to six months, was not immediately available for comment.

She had taken herself out of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Lynx, holding her arm and clearly in pain after pulling down a defensive rebound late in the second quarter.

"We can't replace Candace," Sparks co-owner Kathy Goodman told The Times Thursday night. "Nobody can."

The 24-year-old star out of the University of Tennessee has worn a brace on the shoulder her entire WNBA career, having initially injured it in the regional final of the 2008 NCAA tournament against Texas A&M.

After sealing back-to-back championships for the Lady Vols, the All-American was the No. 1 draft pick by the Sparks and immediately went to work -- helping to carry the Sparks to the playoffs that season, working alongside three-time league MVP Lisa Leslie.

This season Parker had been leading the league in scoring and in rebounding before re-injuring the shoulder last Friday against the Seattle Storm, and again on Sunday. An MRI test was done on Wednesday.

Her teammates found out that they will be without Parker Thursday afternoon, a day before they will face the Connecticut Sun, who are in second place in the Eastern Conference, in at the Staples Center.

“I don’t think they’re going to mope too long,” new coach Jennifer Gillom said. “They don’t have time for that.”

--Melissa Rohlin

Candace Parker named WNBA Western Conference player of the week

The Sparks' Candace Parker was named the WNBA's Western Conference player of the week, and Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream was named player of the week for the Eastern Conference.

Parker is tied with Atlanta’s Erika de Souza for the league lead in both double-doubles (five) and rebounds (11.0 per game), and ranks third overall in scoring with an average of 21.8 points per game. Now in her third WNBA season, she also has been a defensive force, leading the league in blocked shots (2.6 per game) and defensive rebounds (9.2 per game).

In her last two games, Parker had back-to-back 30-point performances and recorded her fourth and fifth double-doubles in as many outings this season, although the Sparks are 1-4. In the lone victory, against Washington, she had 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals.  Parker followed that up with 33 points, 12 boards, a season-high six blocks and two assists in a defeat at the hands of the visiting Atlanta Dream.

McCoughtry has the Dream 6-0 heading into Tuesday's night’s game against the Seattle Storm. She currently leads the WNBA in scoring, averaging 24.0 points per game after scoring in double figures every game this season and reaching 20-or-more points in five of six contests. In addition, her 1.5 blocks per outing are tied for 10th and she ranks 14th in both assists (3.5) and steals (1.7) while also contributing 5.8 rebounds per game.

Her 32 points against the Sparks on Sunday were just two shy of her career high and equaled the season-best mark she set vs. Connecticut on May 21.

-- Debbie Goffa

Sparks select Georgia forward Angel Robinson with second-round pick

Possibly looking to help fill the void left by the retirement of future Hall of Fame center Lisa Leslie, the Los Angeles Sparks drafted Angel Robinson, a 6-foot-5 forward from the University of Georgia, with their second-round pick (20th overall) Thursday. 

Robinson averaged just 9.3 points in her four-year college career, and though Vanessa Hayden and LaToya Pringle will combine with Candace Parker to control the paint, Robinson adds depth. 

The Sparks chose two high-scoring guards in the first round: Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley with the eighth overall pick and University of Mississippi's Bianca Thomas with the 12th overall pick. 

Here are the rest of the second-round picks: 

13. New York Liberty - Kalana Greene, guard, University of Connecticut
14. Washington Mystics - Jenna Smith, center, University of Illinois
15. Connecticut Sun - Allison Hightower, guard, Louisiana State University
16. New York Liberty - Ashley Houts, guard, Georgia
17. San Antonio Silver Stars - Alysha Clark, forward, Middle Tennessee State University
18. Washington Mystics - Shanavia Dowdell, forward, Louisiana Tech University
19. Tulsa Shock - Amanda Thompson, forward, University of Oklahoma
20. Sparks - Angel Robinson, forward, University of Georgia
21. Atlanta Dream - Brigitte Ardossi, forward, Georgia Tech University 
22. Seattle Storm - Tanisha Smith, guard/forward, Texas A&M University 
23. Indiana Fever - Armelie Lumanu, guard/forward, Mississippi State University 
24. Phoenix Mercury - Tyra Grant, guard, Penn State University 

-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: Angel Robinson, center, walks off the court on March 27. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press.

Los Angeles Sparks select Andrea Riley with their first pick in 2010 WNBA draft

The Los Angeles Sparks have selected high-scoring Oklahoma State guard Andrea Riley with their first pick (eighth overall) in the 2010 WNBA draft. 

Riley, a two-time All-Big 12 first-team selection, finished her senior season as the nation's second-leading scorer (26.7 points) and led the conference in assists (6.5).

Riley should help improve the Sparks' league-worst three-point-shooting percentage (29.7%) and draw defensive attention away from star forward Candace Parker. 

The Sparks also have the No. 12, No. 20 and No. 32 draft picks. 

Here is the rest of the first round so far:

1. Connecticut Sun - Tina Charles, center, University of Connecticut.

2. Minnesota Lynx - Monica Wright, guard, University of Virginia. 

3. Minnesota Lynx - Kelsey Griffin, forward, University of Nebraska.

4. Chicago Sky - Epiphanny Prince, guard, Rutgers University / Botas-Spor in Turkey.

5. San Antonio Silver Stars - Jayne Appel, center, Stanford University

6. Washington Mystics - Jacinta Monroe, forward, Florida State University 

7. Connecticut Sun (in trade with Tulsa Shock) - Danielle McCray, guard, University of Kansas 

-- Baxter Holmes

WNBA all-stars will play U.S. national team this year

A good idea is being implemented by the WNBA in an attempt to spice up its All-Star game July 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

This year's event, which will be televised by ESPN, will feature a collection of U.S. national team members against the WNBA all-stars, according to league president Donna Orender. The national team, which will be preparing for the World Championships Sept. 23-Oct. 3 in the Czech Republic, is coached by Connecticut's  Geno Auriemma.

Any time you can get Auriemma involved, it's worthwhile. He will play to win. He'll be evaluating, calculating, figuring out how the WNBA all-stars (Candace Parker? Diana Taurasi? Sue Bird?) will fit in with his national squad.

"I think any time you can showcase the best players of the world against each other in a high-level competitive atmosphere, it's got to be a good thing," Auriemma said. "Sometimes these all-star games become run-up-and-down-the-floor instead of being competitive. I think people tuning in will be surprised to see the level of play we'll have."

Auriemma's current Connecticut team, which is undefeated and considered the overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA title, should prepare him for moving forward with the national team this year.

"I haven't even had to coach my [national] team yet," he said. "We've only really had three of them available. I kind of wish it was a little different, maybe be going to coach a team that isn't expected to win every game, where maybe we could go in and say, 'Hey, we're the underdog!' I told my friend [U.S. soccer coach] Bob Bradley, he's going to the World Cup and no one expects the U.S. to win. Unfortunately, we're in a situation where we're expected to win every game and the gold medal. I'm OK with that."

-- Diane Pucin

Photo: WNBA president Donna Orender. Credit: Joe Giblin / Associated Press

Celtics-Cavaliers matchup complicates Candace Parker's fanhood

Beginning today, Sparks forward Candace Parker will put her rooting interests to the test.

The Boston Celtics play the Cleveland Cavaliers today in the first day of the NBA's regular season, a matchup that will feature Parker's husband, Shelden Williams, with Boston against Parker's brother, Anthony Parker, with Cleveland.

Fans and media aren't the only ones wondering which team Parker will favor. Williams often jokes to Candace, "Don't listen to your brother." Candace's family often jokes they'll disown her if she roots for her husband over her brother.

"Honestly, I’m rooting for both of them to do well," Parker said during the WNBA regular season. "I’m a fan of basketball. It’s fun. It’s great to look at our family and know how special we are."

This isn't new for Parker. On her Twitter account, Parker has often explained she roots for the Lakers but ultimately still favors the Chicago Bulls since she grew up in Naperville, Ill.

After Williams joined Boston as a free agent this off-season, Parker recalled fans immediately asking her what she'll do when the Celtics visit the Lakers at Feb. 18 at Staples Center.

"I don’t know," Parker said, laughing."I know I can’t be wearing my Boston green sitting in the stands of L.A."

--Mark Medina