Getting diploma delays Parker's homecoming

By Shannon Ryan

May 6, 2008

Candace Parker would rather grab a diploma this week than a rebound.

The Naperville native will not be with the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday when they play against the Sky in a WNBA exhibition game. Instead, the league's No. 1 draft pick will be picking up a diploma from Tennessee in sports management and psychology.

Parker isn't too upset about missing the homecoming. She will return to Chicago for a regular-season game on June 3.

"I think it would have been harder [to miss] had it been a regular-season game," Parker said. "I feel like it's very important for me to be there to get my degree. It's something I had been working toward for four years."

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