Candace Parker's latest honor was so rare that even her toughest critic was impressed.

The former Tennessee Lady Vol All-American, who is a star for the Los Angeles Sparks, became the first player in WNBA history Friday to receive the Rookie of the Year award and the Most Valuable Player honor.

For Parker, the most cherished reaction came from her father, Larry.

"When I told him, he told me how proud he was of me,'' she said. "It's rare. It brought tears to my eyes."

Larry Parker is the father who still wants his daughter to average double figures for rebounding. And he will be pushing for her to help the Sparks win a championship.

She's working on it.

In the meantime, the 6-foot-5 forward achieved her fair share during her rookie season. She averaged 18.5 points per game (fourth-best in the league), a league-best 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks (second-best) in helping the Sparks reach the Western Conference finals. She shot 52.3 percent from the floor and averaged 3.4 assists per game as well.

She accomplished these feats after leading the Lady Vols to a second consecutive national championship and suffering an injured left shoulder - a condition that has Parker considering offseason surgery.

Furthermore, she lived up to the hype surrounding her as the league's top draft pick.

"I think the hype is just going to get bigger and bigger,'' she said.

Parker credited her Los Angeles teammates for pushing her, and Sparks coach Michael Cooper for playing a Pat Summitt-like role in her development.

"Coach Cooper was hard on me,'' she said. "He told what I need to accomplish and when I wasn't playing well."

It's left to Parker, though, to grasp what she's accomplished this year. The second championship at Tennessee and gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team this summer already was a full load of memories.

"It's going to take some time for me to reflect and know what this really means,'' she said. "It's amazing to think back and look at all that stuff."

And now the rarest of WNBA honors to savor.

"It's a huge honor,'' she said. "It's something I'll remember forever."

Anosike Honored: Former Lady Vol Nicky Anosike, a first-year player in Minnesota, joined former UT teammate Parker on WNBA all-rookie team.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.