Halfway through the WNBA season, the landscape is already starting to take shape, with several players and teams emerging as favorites for the league’s end-of-season awards. On Thursday, WNBA legend Candace Parker revealed her award picks, but some fans felt she was being overly biased toward her podcast co-host, Aliyah Boston.
Parker has Olivia Miles winning Rookie of the Year, while her MVP picks are Aliyah Boston and Breanna Stewart. For Defensive Player of the Year, she paired Boston alongside A’ja Wilson, and her choice for Coach of the Year is Indiana’s Stephanie White.
While Boston has built a case for Defensive Player of the Year, her MVP selection came as a surprise to many, considering the caliber of players in the race this season. The same goes for White being picked as Coach of the Year. Although she has done a decent job despite the Fever dealing with several injuries, Indiana currently sits seventh in the league with a 12-9 record.
Parker’s predictions left fans stunned, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts. Here’s a look at some of the reactions.
It’s no secret how important Aliyah Boston is to the Indiana Fever. The former Rookie of the Year has been one of the driving forces behind the team, alongside Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. Offensively, Boston is enjoying a career-best season, averaging 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. However, she’s still not at an MVP level. She currently ranks 17th in scoring, eighth in rebounds and ninth in blocks this season.
Candace Parker Rips WNBA Players for Voting Caitlin Clark the 11th-Best Guard
Candace Parker expressed frustration with WNBA players after they voted Caitlin Clark as only the 11th-best guard in the league during the 2026 WNBA All-Star voting.
Clark ranked second in the fan vote, third in the media vote, and 11th among players. Interestingly, she also ranked just ninth among guards in the players’ vote during the 2025 All-Star voting.
“It’s also kinda crazy,” Parker said. “I wholeheartedly believe that there need to be some rules with the WNBA players, because this is getting out of hand. Caitlin Clark [being] voted the 11th-best guard by WNBA players, that’s crazy.”
Parker also argued that Clark’s ranking reflected what she believes are underlying insecurities among some players around the league.
“Y’all need to go to a therapist and figure out what childhood issues you have, ’cause if you’re sitting there, looking at yourself in the mirror, and putting her as the 11th-best guard, like c’mon.”
While Clark is still far from the player she was projected to be this season, much of that has to do with her returning from injury. She’s not putting up MVP numbers, but she’s certainly not the 11th-best guard in the league, either. Clark and the Fever will be looking to prove the doubters wrong as the season continues.
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