By: ShaCamree Gowdy

Candace Parker is a woman of many accolades, and she doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. 

The Women’s National Basketball Associate forward will be the first woman to grace the cover of a special edition of blockbuster’s NBA 2K video game, per Bloomberg Equality’s Kim Bhasin and Dina Bass, which will make its way into stores in September. 

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In addition to placing Parker on the cover, Take-Two Studios is making strides to improve its WNBA gameplay, including adding an option for last year’s game that allows users to manage a WNBA club or build their own player and coach her through her career. 

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Parker, per Bhasin and Bass. “Being able to see women on the cover, visible in leadership positions, it helps not just in sport but also just in the boardroom, in business or everything.” 

Parker, 25, spent 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks before joining Chicago this season. 

She believes brands are doing themselves a disservice by failing to center female athletes, noting that women’s sports are garnering more attention and sponsorship deals, in turn bringing in more revenue. 

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Parker is the recipient of two Olympic gold medals and is a two-time league MVP, six-time All-Star, and WNBA champion. Kellogg Company, JBL Audio, and Adidas AG are some of her sponsors. 

Take-Two estimated in May that 2.3 million gamers play 2K every day, per Bhasin and Bass. Parker has been tapped to help the developers better grasp the WNBA for the next edition, particularly how the sport was played in different eras and how the offenses differed from the men’s game.