Candace Parker Doubles Down On Ranking Angel Reese A 'C-Tier' Player

Candace Parker is not apologizing for her assessment of Angel Reese.

During a segment with Complex Sports earlier this month, Parker was asked to do a "tier" ranking of select WNBA stars. This meant that she would be given a WNBA player and then rank them in the "S" tier (the highest), the "A" tier, "B" tier, or the lowest, the "C" tier.

The three-time WNBA champion gave veterans A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart the top "S" rankings. Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu, she said, were in the "A" tier. Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers made the "B" tier. And rounding out the rankings, Parker put Cameron Brink and Angel Reese in the "C" tier.

She offered this evaluation of Reese: "I put her right at that ‘C’ level. I think in terms of being above, you have to be able to have the ability to carry your team, be a one or two option. I think Angel Reese is fantastic at her role, which is offensive rebounding. She showed and demonstrated so much growth in that first year."

As you can imagine, many of Reese's faithful fans were not happy with the alleged disrespect from Parker. They called her a hater.

But during a Tuesday appearance on the Good Follow show, Parker stood by her rankings.

"They asked me my opinion on player tiers, and my thing is, if you bring something to the argument, bring something else," Parker said.

"Can [Reese] get to player A, or player S, or whatever? Yes, she can. Right now, I don't know if she's alongside those players. And you're measuring her against players that have been in the league for years."

Parker explained that while she would never attack an athlete for their character or who they are, there has to be room for honest criticism of their body of work, adding, "It's sports. It's not personal."

As for Reese, she's making a case to (eventually) be moved out of that "C" tier. In Tuesday's game against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, Reese recorded her 10th-straight double-double, making her the first player in WNBA history to have multiple streaks of 10-plus double-doubles.

Of course, the Chicago Sky forward also had nine turnovers in the blowout loss. So maybe that's the kind of room for improvement Parker is referring to.