Remembering Candace Parker's 2004 McDonald's All-American dunk contest win at Carl Albert

Candace Parker retired Sunday as one of the all-time greats in the women’s game. She was a two-time national champion at Tennessee, three-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA MVP who ranks top-10 in WNBA history in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.

Parker burst onto the national basketball scene 20 years ago when she became the first girl to win the McDonald’s All American high school dunk contest.

The venue for that 2004 event? Carl Albert High School in Midwest City.

You might have remembered that, might have forgotten or might never have known, but one of Parker’s first steps toward superstardom came right here.

“It’s a distant memory,” said Gary Rose, Carl Albert’s former football coach and athletic director, “but it’s really pretty cool to think back on.”

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The actual McDonald’s All American Game, which featured Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and LaMarcus Aldridge on the boys side, and Parker and Sylvia Fowles in the girls game, was hosted downtown at what was then the Ford Center, but the dunk contest was on the east side of the metro at Carl Albert.

Boys basketball coach Jay Price had just finished his first season at Carl Albert when the school hosted the event on March 29, 2004. Twenty years later, Price still holds the same job.

“It’s wild that it’s been that long,” Price said.

Price stood in a corner of the Titans’ gym, a building brand new at the time, watching the contest.

He, like others who shared their memories from that night, remembered how packed the place was.

One end of the gym was covered by a black backdrop to enhance ESPN’s broadcast, “but every other seat in that place was full,” said Price, who guessed the attendance was close to 3,000.

“As full as I’ve ever seen it,” Rose said.

Will Bryson, the athletic director and boys basketball coach at Mingo Valley Christian in Tulsa, was there with his friends.

“I didn’t get a seat,” Bryson said. “I was standing the whole time. And it was hot.”

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But they saw something special.

“I tell people all the time, that dunk contest kind of showed we could support big things coming here,” Bryson said.

Competing against Parker in the co-ed contest were future NBA players Rudy Gay, J.R. Smith and Josh Smith. Joe Crawford, who went to Kentucky, and Darius Washington Jr., a Memphis signee, rounded out the field for the Powerade Jam Fest.

“I was not familiar with Candace at that time,” Rose said, “and it was just an extravagant, amazing event.”

Doug Gottlieb was on the call, and Barry Sanders was among the judges.

Janith Johnson, who coached girls basketball at Star Spencer for 33 years, was on the bench as an assistant coach that weekend.

“One of the greatest highlights of my coaching career,” Johnson said.

Johnson was in awe of the talent. Of Parker specifically.

“She was so versatile,” Johnson added. “She could play anything from point guard all the way up to the five position. Here in Oklahoma City, a 6-3 guard is not heard of too often, so when you saw a young lady of her caliber being able to not only post up but also could handle the ball so well, that was what was so impressive about Candace.”

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In the final round of the dunk contest, Parker covered her eyes for a no-look dunk a la Dee Brown in 1991.

“There were some other super impressive dunks,” Price said, “but seeing a girl go up and dunk for the first time, everybody was pretty fired up about that.”

J.R. Smith failed to throw down a more audacious attempt, and Parker was crowned champ — the first woman to ever win the McDonald’s slam dunk contest.

“I never really thought I could win it,” Parker told ESPN after the competition. “I just entered it to get a dunk down. I’m still in shock right now.”

In ‘Candace Parker: Unapologetic,’ an ESPN film, Parker addressed the pushback she got from those who didn’t think she deserved to win.

“I’m not a fool,” Parker said. “J.R. Smith could kill me in any dunk contest, but he missed his dunks and I was making mine.”

Since Parker, two more women have won the dunk contest: Francesca Belibi in 2019 and Ashlyn Watkins in 2022.

But like in so many ways, Parker was a trailblazer for what she did that night, 20 years ago, at Carl Albert High School.

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Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Reliving Candace Parker's dunk contest win at Carl Albert in 2004