Candace Parker moves into 10th on the WNBA scoring list, but the Chicago Sky lose their opener in overtime

Candace Parker might be nearing the end of her WNBA career, but she’s playing like she still is in her prime.

Despite the Chicago Sky falling 98-91 in overtime to the Los Angeles Sparks in the season opener Friday night, Parker passed Lauren Jackson (6,007 points) and Seimone Augustus (6,005) for the 10th spot on the league’s all-time scoring list with 6,011. She finished with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Parker wasn’t made available to media after the loss to her former team. The sting of letting the game slip lingered into the defending champions’ news conference.

“We were tired and it’s not an excuse, but it’s just where we are right now,” said Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who had 11 points, four rebounds and eight assists. “We are not in shape to play 35 minutes. It’s tough on us old people, but I think that played a factor along with poor execution and spacing.”

In a game that featured 16 lead changes, the Sparks outscored the Sky 10-3 in overtime after the fourth quarter ended in controversy.

With 1.5 seconds left in regulation and the Sky up 88-85, Dana Evans fouled Jordin Canada on a 3-point attempt that drew the ire of a packed crowd at Wintrust Arena. The Sky, who were without All-Stars Allie Quigley and Kahleah Copper, couldn’t recover.

Sky coach and general manager James Wade didn’t mince words when discussing the foul call.

“Everybody saw (it wasn’t a foul),” Wade said. “(Evans) didn’t even touch her, even though (Canada) threw her body forward. How could good people who do this for a living see that and call it? It’s ridiculous.”

When asked if she thought she fouled Canada, Evans said, “Not at all. No.”

Canada (21 points, eight assists) and Nneka Ogwumike (19 points, 7-of-10 shooting) led the way for the Sparks while Liz Cambage struggled against the Sky frontcourt. She scored 11 of her 12 points after halftime.

All five Sky starters scored in double digits, led by Evans’ 24 points. In her first career start in place of Quigley, she started off cold but went 7 for 8 from the field in the third quarter and scored 17 in the quarter.

Evans said last week she wants to become “the best guard in the league,” and she built on the momentum she brought from training camp.

“I just told myself going into this season I wanted to play like Dana,” Evans said after the game. “I was just letting the game come to me and getting in the lanes and had some easy jumpers. Once those started going, the basket looked huge at that point.”

Parker, meanwhile, continues to build her legacy after signing with the Sky in 2021. Along with climbing the all-time scoring ladder, the two-time league MVP and 2016 Finals MVP passed Tanisha Wright and Shannon Johnson for eighth in career assists.

Augustus was in the building to see Parker pass her on the scoring list. The four-time WNBA champion and 2011 Finals MVP is now an assistant coach for the Sparks and had high praise for her former rival.

“Candace has been a player that has transcended the game,” Augustus said. “She changed the game with her guard-like abilities as a post player. It’s been a beautiful thing to see her do what she’s been able to accomplish. The last player to have that kind of skill set was Lauren Jackson.”

After the shootaround Friday morning, Wade wasn’t aware of Parker’s place among the scoring greats but pointed to her ability to win a championship with two teams (the Sparks in 2016 and the Sky last year) as one of the defining elements of her legacy.

“She’s a special talent,” Wade said. “She’s probably going to go down as the greatest player to ever play the game. That’s probably one of the reasons I didn’t know how many points she scored because her greatness isn’t predicated on that.

“She’s won two championships, multiple gold medals and has won championships in every country she has been in. The only thing I know: She is a winner.”

This could be Parker’s final season. She said during a segment on “WNBA Weekly” that she considered retiring after last season. The Sky bulldozed their opponents in the 2021 playoffs — after going 16-16 in the regular season, making them the first sixth seed or lower to win the Finals — but the journey was treacherous.

Parker just turned 36 and signed a multiyear broadcasting deal with Turner Sports in September. She told the Tribune this week she no longer plays five-on-five in the offseason and focuses on maintaining her conditioning with her trainer.

The end could be near for one of the greatest players in league history.

“That is how I’m entering the season,” Parker said. “I don’t know what the future holds. I know my contract is up after this year and there will be decisions to be made.

“But at this point in my career for the last three or four years, I’ve operated in the present and understand the value of every day because there’s more basketball behind me than in front of me.”

The Sky don’t play again until Wednesday against the New York Liberty at Wintrust. The ring ceremony and banner raising will be May 24 before they host the Indiana Fever, though the championship trophy was on display at midcourt Friday.

James Kay is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.