CANDACE PARKER NAMED 2009 WNBA PEAK PERFORMER

Sparks Forward Earns Her Second Consecutive Honor for Rebounding

LOS ANGELES – Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks won the 2009 WNBA Peak Performer Award for rebounding, the WNBA announced today.

The WNBA Peak Performer awards are given annually to the players who lead the league in scoring, rebounding and assists during the regular season. Each player will receive a Tiffany trophy in honor of their accomplishments.

With 9.8 rebounds per game, Parker bested Erika de Souza (9.1 rpg), Candice Dupree (7.9 rpg) and Crystal Langhorne (7.9 rpg) to earn her second consecutive rebounding award. She won the Peak Performer award for rebounding last year as a rookie with 9.5 rpg.

Parker, a two-time Player of the Week in 2009, totaled 15 double-doubles in 25 games this season. The second-year player closed her season with six straight games of double figures in rebounds. In her final 21 games, she recorded 10 or more rebounds 17 times and corralled a season-high 14 rebounds twice. In her final game of the season, she tied the 2009 WNBA single-game high with eight offensive rebounds. She narrowly missed averaging a double-double (13.1 ppg) for the second year in a row, while leading the league in blocks (2.1).

Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury won her second consecutive and third overall Peak Performer award for scoring after averaging 20.4 points per game in 2009. Sue Bird captured the assist crown after averaging 5.8 assists per game. The assist honor was the second of her career, with her first coming in 2005 when she averaged 5.9 assists per game.

For individual or group tickets to see Candace Parker lead the Sparks in the 2009 WNBA Playoffs, visit www.lasparks.com or call 1-877-44-SPARKS.