■ I’m an avid reader, and my favorite book is Chop Wood, Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf. He talks about focusing on the preparation and relinquishing the results. And I’m one of those people who, if I had a chance to be the hero and take the last shot but an 80 percent chance of missing it, I would take the shot. So I’m choosing to come home to Chicago regardless of what the outcome is. I want to end my career where I started it, and whatever happens in between is out of my control. 

■ The second-best job to playing basketball is talking about it. I pride myself on knowing the game, the history of it, and the players. I think my authentic love of it shines through in my broadcasts. And I’ve always respected the men I grew up watching, who have respected me in return. The issues come from guys who weren’t able to play basketball past their middle school or high school days. Somebody who didn’t play is qualified to talk about it, but I can’t because I was born a woman? In my mid-20s, there was a switch that flipped when I stopped concerning myself with why they were acting this way. I’m not someone who wants to be coddled, and I’m not going to coddle the men I’m around — or not try my best because it would hurt their ego. That’s just not the way I was raised. 

■ I grew up in a household where we were humbled. We realized that you can’t take yourself too seriously. You’ve never got everything figured out. You make mistakes and admit them. You laugh. You joke. On a Saturday morning, if my oldest brother, Anthony, had shot poorly in a game the night before, my dad would get up and start looking around in a kitchen cabinet. We knew not to ask. But if we had a friend over, they would be like, “Hey, Mr. Parker, what are you doing?” “Looking for Anthony’s jump shot.” And when I was named one of People magazine’s most beautiful people during college, my brothers sent me hilarious photos of me: “Should we show People these?” So I have people who will bring me right back down to reality.

■ My dad was tough on me across the board. In sixth grade, the workload got to be so much that I told him, “This isn’t what I’m cut out for.” My brother Marcus is brilliant. He’s a doctor and scored like 34 on his ACT. I was like, “I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to do it like him.” And my dad made me stay up and redo my homework until it was perfect. He said, “Now you’ve set the bar. It’s up to you to hold yourself to it.” 

■ It’s important to show up. It shows people that you care. At one point, my parents had a sophomore in college, a junior in high school, and my YMCA basketball games. So on Saturdays they’d go to my 8 a.m. games, then Marcus’s noon game, then we’d all drive to Peoria to go to Anthony’s 7 p.m. game for Bradley University. We weren’t allowed to not attend. We supported each other. And I’m trying to carry that forward with my child.

■ Before my freshman season at Tennessee, I had a scope procedure on my knee. I woke up in the hospital. My parents and my coach, Pat Summitt, were there, and we were joking, because I guess I’d been telling them through the anesthesia, “We won.” They’re like, “What did you win?” So I’m feeding into it and laughing. Then I saw the doctor’s face, and everybody kind of stopped laughing. I remember my parents and Pat saying, “We should tell her,” and the doctor saying, “No, we have to wait until she wakes up fully.” I said, “No, I’m awake. Tell me.” Pat and my dad kind of grabbed me, and I knew it was bad. They said I needed an additional surgery that was season-ending. Back at our hotel, I remember being really upset, like, Why does this have to happen to me? I had just come off ACL surgery the year before. After an hour of me screaming and yelling, my dad took me into the bathroom and made me look at myself in the mirror. He was like, “OK, you’ve had your pity party. Now what are you going to do about it? You need to promise yourself that you’re going to overcome this.” And that really stuck with me, because as a parent it would have been easy to just say, “I’ll make everything fine.” But he made me take responsibility for myself. 

■ Not being able to play that season was a huge blow, because playing is something I would always do whenever something was wrong. I was also going through the transition of moving to college, and my parents were getting a divorce. But I was one of those kids who tried to act like everything was fine and dealt with stuff by myself. Pat noticed what was going on and made me go see a sports psychiatrist — who I wouldn’t talk to. I didn’t know how it would help me. And so I would go to the sessions and we would just sit there. I would do my time. Pat got wind of this and was like, “Instead of doing that, why don’t you come by my office at lunch every Wednesday. You can do your homework, but just sit in my office.” The first two times, we just kind of sat there and talked. By the third session, it was like therapy for me. We talked about life and how we dealt with stuff. She was the one who really helped me through everything. And she was ahead of her time in terms of advice. She’d say, “I’m going to tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear.” A lot of times we gravitate towards comfort and don’t want to solve the underlying problem. A phrase that has echoed in my ear from different coaches and mentors is “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” People who can live in that space really have an advantage. 

■ When I was 18 or 19 years old, I was dating Dwight Howard. He was going straight to the NBA, and everybody was talking about him. I was hung up on the fact that, dang, I’m skilled, I’m pretty good at what I do, but this guy’s set for life on his first contract, and I’m not. Then when I got out of college, I realized the limitations that were put on women in general, not just in sports. And that was difficult, because nobody had ever called me bossy, nobody had spoken of my confidence, nobody had said that I couldn’t do math. And I started realizing the world wasn’t what I thought it was. But I wasn’t gonna let it change me.

■ Having Lailaa at 23 years old really made me grow up and try to be a better person. I was taken aback by people’s initial reaction when I announced I was pregnant. It was like, “How could you do this to us? You’re not going to be the same.” But if you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to do it. So I had everything scheduled. I worked out during my whole pregnancy, and I worked out again two weeks after I had my daughter. Two weeks after that, I was on the court. And six weeks after that, I was playing in a game. I was nursing and Lailaa was just along for the ride. 

■ Your kids are constantly watching you. I remember crying after a game. We’d lost in the Western Conference finals, and I was really upset. There’s a picture of Lailaa coming onto the court and hugging me. Fast-forward a couple of months. We were at my brother’s house, visiting her cousins, and they were playing a board game. I went in the room because I heard some yelling. Lailaa was in the corner, crying. So I walked over to her and said, “What happened?” “I lost.” And I said, “We don’t cry when we lose.” She’s like, “But you did.”

■ I was married to Shel for eight years after I had Lailaa. It’s difficult to balance. You have this love for the game, and it takes you so many different places. And there’s a growth factor: Sometimes you grow apart. You don’t know your true self yet, and you’re trying to get to know somebody else as well. It’s like rolling the dice, because you’re kind of betting on who the other person is going to be. Going through the divorce, with TMZ reporting stuff and so many people knowing what was going on, was difficult for me. We had to have conversations with Lailaa about how sometimes things that are personal get out. But I can honestly say we do an amazing job coparenting. Lailaa absolutely loves her dad, who’s super supportive. So it’s been as easy a transition as you can have. There are ups and downs — I’m not in any way saying there aren’t — but we’ve landed on two feet and we’re in a good place. 

■ When I play against my daughter, I’ll let her score maybe once or twice, but she won’t beat me. Everybody is like, “Candace, let your kid …” No, absolutely not. That’s the biggest problem with sports that they play at this age. They lost five games and she got a trophy? Like, I’m confused how you get a trophy from that.

■ I talk over everything with Lailaa, like the decision to come to Chicago. We’ve traveled the world together. She grew up in Russia. Her first school was in Russia. And it got harder as she got older. The last time we went to China, I remember telling her, “Hey, baby, Mommy got this great opportunity. But we’re a package deal, so I want to talk it over with you. It would be for only eight weeks. What do you think?” And she turned her head, and I saw a tear fall to her cheek, and she turned back around and was like, “I think we should go. We’ll be OK.” 

■ Confidence comes from preparation. It comes from repetition. It comes from putting in the time and the hours. And I believe that I belong. I belong on the basketball court. I belong at that TNT desk with Shaq and D-Wade. I was raised in a household where I wasn’t limited because I was a girl. I didn’t have a different curfew. I didn’t have to do the dishes and cook while my brothers sat on the couch. No, we all did everything. Even when I was the only girl playing kickball, I felt as though I should be out there. And I went to a predominantly white school in Naperville, so I don’t feel uncomfortable walking into a room or sitting at a table with all white people — or all men. When I was in China, I was on a team of all Chinese players, and I didn’t speak their language. But I didn’t feel uncomfortable. I don’t ever think I shouldn’t be there. 

■ In 2016, when we finally got the WNBA championship, it was so amazing. But I’m one of those people who remember my losses more. I remember almost feeling disappointed the day after we won, because the feeling wasn’t what I thought it would be. Like, I automatically wanted to do it more, get more championships. I had to learn to stop and really appreciate moments.

■ It’s interesting how society judges people based on their accomplishments. I saw an Instagram post that was like, “Candace won a championship, she knows what it takes.” We won a championship by one point in game 5. Four times, I’ve been one shot away, so I could have been a four-time champion or a zero-time champion, but I still have the same knowledge and the same experiences. If I worried about what people said, it would mean I’m this close to not knowing what I’m talking about because I don’t have the rings to back it up. 

■ A couple of years ago, I was voted the most overrated player in the WNBA. It was a poll by the Athletic. Players voted. I laughed because it’s almost comical. But honestly, it just gives me more motivation on a random Tuesday to wake up and work out. That’s what I’m taking from it.

■ Especially now, the knock on me is that “Candace doesn’t always play hard on every single possession.” I think my pain has been mistaken for not working hard, because sometimes my body’s not cooperating. If those people knew how much I had to do just to get out of bed and onto the court. I feel like you know your own truth, but still, it eats at me, because laziness is one of those personality traits that really bothers me. 

■ I remember one game when Kobe Bryant was 6 for 26 from the field and he came down the court — calm, cool, and collected — and nailed the game winner. I texted him the next day, like, “How do you have the confidence to do that?” And he said, “I’ve put in so much time and work and energy that, statistically, the next shot had to go in because I’d missed so many times.” I was like, Wow. That’s really shifting the way you think about it. What makes one shot at the end of the game more important than the previous 20 you took? Your mind is the thing that’s holding you back the most. I’ve struggled with free throws occasionally. But it’s not the actual free throw that’s messing me up —  it’s my brain. So you try to figure out ways to turn that off. One of my family members was like, “You should sing a song at the free-throw line.” “Forever Young” by Jay-Z is my free-throw line song. It makes me happy, and I started shooting better. 

■ Kobe was a mentor, and I really got to know him well in 2008. We hung out at the Olympics, and I went to a couple of events with him. He was a professional before I was, and I’d watched this guy win championships and have that mindset. To have that model and blueprint, especially in L.A., was really special. He called me before one of my huge playoff games, after we had lost in game 4, and basically said, “I’m not trying to Hoosiers on you, but the basket is the same in L.A. as it is in Minnesota. You know what you’ve got to do. Go get it done.”

■ I was about to take my daughter to a basketball game when I heard about Kobe. It was one of those moments that rock the entire world, when you’re always going to remember what you were doing. He really let us see who he was during his last couple of years. He let us see the joy and the laughter instead of always being serious. He was an entire human, not just a basketball player, and I kind of fell in love with the part of him that was a father who brought his daughter around to different tournaments. And so I think that’s what’s been so hard to move past. All of us, especially athletes, can see ourselves in him. I still wake up and can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem real. 

■ I have always been super interested in the history of our country, both good and bad. I remember, when I was younger, my dad and I would talk about what I learned in school, and then he would show me lies my teacher told me or things that they don’t put in history books. At 13, I was able to go to France to play basketball. And my dad and I spent three or four hours in Les Invalides, a museum that is basically the perspective of the French on World War II. That was the first time I saw Americans painted not as heroes in a museum. I also heard my dad’s stories about going to Joliet West, the amount of hatred he received. They bused in Black students to desegregate the school, and he was part of that. He played varsity his freshman year, and one of their first games, people were throwing quarters at them because they were Black. And so it’s a matter of being able to see how far we’ve come but also how far we have to go. What are our blind spots today? What aren’t we addressing? America is built on these principles and fundamental ideas that are great, but we wait until something happens to react. 

■ I was a little bit of a hothead when I was younger. And my mouth has gotten me into trouble. I would yell. I got technicals. I have passion and energy and fire, and I may not have always whispered to my coaches when I talked to them. But I don’t think anger should hold you back. It hasn’t held me back. Sometimes, in your heart, you know something is right, and you just do it because it’s authentic to who you are. The fight with Detroit’s Plenette Pierson in 2008 was one of those things where you either face the bully or you end up getting bullied your entire career. There’ve been skirmishes since then, but nothing like that. I’d still be described as highly emotional, but I’ve gotten better. And over the last 10 years, I think the world has adjusted to women being passionate about playing a sport they love. 

Styling Jessica Moazami
Hair and makeup Chrisondra Boyd 
Photo assistant Aaron Rhodan
Inside shoot location Wintrust Arena

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Tulips are blooming. Playgrounds are bustling. Spring has officially arrived in Chicago! Which means your favorite local farmers and grocers are back in biz, offering top-notch produce at great prices. So skip the crowds at Whole Foods and spend your Saturday morning perusing some of these amazing farmer’s markets around Chicago. 

3107 W. Logan Blvd., Chicago, 60647

Located right on Logan Boulevard between Milwaukee and Whipple, this popular neighborhood market is always poppin’. They’re open on Sundays from 9AM to 3PM, now through October 31st. Just a heads up, LSFM has designated 9AM to 10AM as a shopping hour for high-risk populations. And don’t forget your face mask! 

Lincoln Park: 1817 N Clark St.

West Loop: 115 S Sangamon St

For 19 years, Green City Market has been Chicago’s largest year-round sustainable farmers market. Their vendor list is extensive with farmers from all over the area slinging quality dairy, meats, and produce. GCM Lincoln Park runs now through October, every Wednesday and Saturday from 7am to 1pm. And GCM West Loop opens in June through October, every Saturday from 8am to 1pm. 

1500 W Catalpa Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

After 12 seasons, this popular Edgewater market is back and operating as a hybrid market, with onsite shopping as well as an online market. Stop by to check out vendors like Andersonville Fine Foods, River Valley Ranch, Hillside Orchards, and much more! Open Wednesdays from 3pm to 7pm, now through October 20.

4100 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60618

As one of the oldest farmers markets in Chicago, Northcenter has a roster of wonderful vendors providing produce, pastries and much more. Check out their newly-renovated Town Square on Saturdays starting June 5 through October 30, 8am to 1pm. Inventory tends to sell out early so try to get there before 11am. And, of course, don’t forget to mask up.

1219 W. 76th St., Chicago, IL 60620

Located on the South Side of Chicago, this friendly neighborhood market offers a delicious sampling of organic produce, dairy, jams, bread, and more. Mark your calendars, ECM opens July 17 and runs through September 18 from 10am to 2pm. 

For more Farmers Market goodness in Chicago, check out this helpful schedule!

Farmer’s Markets Chicago Featured Image Credit: Bild von Martin Winkler auf Pixabay 

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New Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is already catching the attention of his teammates for rookie minicamp as he’s all about business.

The post Bears Rookie Minicamp: Coaches and Fellow Rookies Impressed with Justin Fields first appeared on CHI CITY SPORTS l Chicago Sports Blog – News – Forum – Fans – Rumors.Read More

Many people have embraced cooking during the pandemic, when they’ve been home, bored, looking to try something new. TikTok was ready to fill the gap as a foodie paradise, and has seen more than 15 billion food posts.

From sourdough to feta pasta, much of the last year at home has been food-focused. And one driver of these delectable fads is the social media platform TikTok.

Many people have embraced cooking during the pandemic, when they’ve been home, bored, looking to try something new. TikTok was ready to fill the gap as a foodie paradise, and has seen more than 15 billion food posts.

“It’s my bedtime routine,” Lori Jackson, 54, of Lynn, Massachusetts, said of watching TikTok cooking videos. “I’ve taken ideas I’ve seen on there and made them.”

One of the burgeoning TikTok celebrity chefs is Harry Heal, a 26-year-old who lives in Dubai.

Heal has a distinct baritone, an English accent, and has garnered about a million followers in the six months he’s been posting cooking videos. He isn’t a chef by trade, though he learned some cooking skills when working in the French Alps as a teen.

AP

“From then on, I have been a huge cooking enthusiast and loved being in the kitchen,” Heal said.

His most viral video – 13.3 million views — is a Valentine’s Day dish with seared chicken breast, roasted garlic, sliced mushrooms and cream. Like most TikTok videos, it’s set to music and has the feel of something professionally crafted.

Tri Phan of Arlington, Virginia, has amassed 1.5 million followers since he began posting workout and healthy cooking videos in November. The 23-year-old, who is working on his master’s degree in data and business analytics at American University, often does two versions of his content, one in English and one in Vietnamese; about 60 percent of his followers are Vietnamese, he says.

“When I first started, it was me wanting to share with the world Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese food,” he said. “Now I want to take this TikTok further to really help people learn to cook healthy meals that they could eat and they could eat for the rest of their lives.”

Phan’s love of cooking came despite being told by his traditional mother to stay out of the kitchen. “My mom never wanted the only boy in the family to be in the kitchen,” he said.

“And because of that, I always wanted to cook.”

Now that he’s TikTok famous, he says his mother doesn’t quite grasp what that means. “She’s like, ‘Oh, good job, son. Very good. But your finance major, how’s that going?’”

About one year ago — somewhere near the “Tiger King” phase of the pandemic — a whipped coffee drink made the rounds on the internet, starting its viral journey on TikTok. The drink originated in South Korea, where it’s called a dalgona coffee. All it required was instant coffee, sugar and hot water to construct a luscious-looking beverage resembling a soft-serve ice cream cone. The hashtag #whippedcoffee has amassed more than 2.3 billion views.

There’s a lot of variety on “food TikTok.” You can learn to perfect a hamburger or ferment kimchee, make old-fashioned Japanese candy or fry frog legs.

The video-only platform lends itself to cooking demonstrations, said Crystal King, a social media professor at Boston-based marketing software firm Hubspot. Other social media platforms have multiple features – lots of text or static photos – that can divide a user’s attention. TikTok, however, “sucks people in really easily,” she said. “The format is simple, easily understood and it connects people into a global understanding of food really quickly.”

The vast array of content is a leading attraction of food TikTok, fans say. Many people, like Julie Vick, a 44-year-old writer and college instructor in the Denver area, look there for new ideas.

“The videos are a little mesmerizing at times,” Vick said. “I’ve liked watching the tortilla ones, where people put four different ingredients in different sections of a tortilla and then fold it up and cook it in a skillet.”

Although they’re generally not hands-on, TikTok’s short videos do create interest in cooking skills, says Geeti Gangle, co-owner of Create a Cook culinary school in Newton, Massachusetts.

“If we engage younger people in learning to cook, they will start making food for themselves one day,” Gangle said. “And they might become interested in learning the skills later on.”

The link between good nutrition and knowing how to cook has been well established. But until the pandemic, cooking skills were on the decline for young people and not frequently taught in school.

Camden Allard, a 21-year-old student in Seattle, has made several recipes from TikTok: bread recipes, the feta tomato pasta that recently broke the internet, trifles, cinnamon rolls and the quarter quesadilla.

AP

“TikTok videos are great to watch because I am able to get the overall information about a recipe — like what it makes, the ingredients, how you cook it — in about a minute,” he said. “I can quickly determine if it’s something that I would be interested in doing.”

Allard, who has been cooking for about eight years, said he enjoys making meals with his girlfriend and family, and TikTok has made it easy for them to expand their repertoire.

“Quarantine has made life bland and repetitive with us staying at home, and having new meals to try out has added some excitement,” he said. “That has made making dinners less of a chore and more an exciting thing.”

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Chicago Cubs jump all over Jon Lester in return to Wrigley Field by Ryan Sikes

After coming up just short of the play-in tournament, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine held an end-of-season presser just as every player does.

The year may not have ended the way the Bulls guard wanted it to, but there is certainly reason to be hopeful going forward. After all, the Bulls went out and dealt for All Star big man Nikola Vucevic, and the duo seemed to really enjoy playing together.

If it wasn’t for LaVine having to sit out a couple of weeks due to health protocols, the Bulls likely would have been right there in the postseason mix. Unfortunately, the Bulls fell to the 11th spot in the East and headed for an early offseason.

In his presser, LaVine was asked about his future with the Bulls. Specifically, LaVine was asked about an extension.

Zach LaVine sounded like a man on a mission for a maximum contract extension.

When LaVine responded to reporters, it was pretty clear what his desire would be this offseason — or maybe next. His response included acknowledging the nature of the business and allowing his agent to take care of these things, but one particular statement stood out above the rest.

“I definitely want what I deserve.”

LaVine is entering the last year of a 4-year contract he signed with the Bulls which paid him an annual average of $19.5 million per year — a contract that now looks like an absolute steal.

If he signed an extension this offseason, his max salary could jump to over $23.4 million this coming year and go all the way up to $29 million in year four. But, according to the Sun Times, if LaVine waited until next offseason, he could be making an annual average of $39 million.

LaVine said all the right things in his presser and continued to reiterate his love for Chicago, even bringing up the trade for Vucevic and stating that he loved the move. It’s clear he was happy to see the organization finally do something big to try and win.

He also stated that he’s planning to work out with Coby White and Patrick Williams this summer, proving his commitment to his teammates.

But, despite his love for Chicago, he’s right. It is a business, and it’s tough to disagree with him in regards to what he deserves. His improvement over the past couple of seasons absolutely qualifies him for a significant raise.

Posting 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting career-highs in both three-point percentage (41.9) and from the floor overall (50.7) should be more than enough to convince Arturas Karnisovas to get an extension done right now.

The Bulls should do everything they can to extend LaVine this summer before his price tag goes way up next year. LaVine may very well decide to wait, as he could have had the summer of 2022 on his mind for a while now. It’d be tough to argue with him, as that $39 million salary is a whole lot more than what he could get this year.

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Regardless, the Bulls have to do what they can to keep him around. They haven’t always done a great job keeping stars in town, and LaVine definitely deserves it.

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Across the sport, depth charts feature bandits, bucks, bulls, cash, cincos, dogs — even a Bubo.Read More

Last July, local arts and music nonprofit Quiet Pterodactyl put together a sprawling compilation called Situation Chicago to support local music venues struggling during the pandemic. Almost a year later, with another few hundred thousand Americans dead and live music as we once knew it still mostly impossible, the organization has put together a sequel—this time raising money that will go directly to musicians through the CIVL Save Emergency Relief Fund.…Read More

It was an emotional night at Wrigley Field on Monday night. After spending six years with the organization and helping the team win their first World Series since 1908, Jon Lester faced the Chicago Cubs for the first time as a member of the Washington Nationals. It was interesting to see the Chicago Cubs face […]

Chicago Cubs jump all over Jon Lester in return to Wrigley Field – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More

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A 15-year-old girl was shot and seriously wounded while walking her dog in Washington Park on the South Side Monday afternoon.

She was in front of a store in the 6100 block of South King Drive when someone walked up and opened fire about 3:40 p.m., striking the girl in the chest and arm, Chicago police said.

The girl made her way down the street before collapsing, police said. She was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Police said it wasn’t clear if the girl was the intended target. No arrests have been reported.

The shooting comes after a violent weekend in the city saw 48 people shot, including a 2-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. At least six of those wounded have died.

The number of people shot was almost double what it was last weekend, when five people were killed and 21 others hurt in gun violence across the city.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

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