It’s been a rough patch for Lady Vols basketball under head coach Kim Caldwell. Tennessee has lost three games in a row and six of its last eight games.
Due to the results and nature of the losses, there’s been some criticism of the direction of the program. Despite reaching the Sweet 16 in her first season, the shortcomings in year two have been red flags to some fans and even former Lady Vol players. Brittany Jackson has been outspoken on her disappointment on her Substack.
Perhaps the greatest Lady Vol of all time and arguably the best women’s basketball player ever, Candace Parker, weighed in with her thoughts on her podcast, Post Moves. She said she didn’t mind Caldwell calling out her team after the loss to South Carolina, and isn’t a fan of other former players being negative.
“The Gamecocks beat the Volunteers, 93-50,” Parker said on her show. “We voluntarily got our ass kicked. What came of that was Coach Kim Caldwell went viral for postgame comments. Her comments, I didn’t disagree with. I think the coach can call you out and I think there’s a strategy. You have to know your team. Is this going to impact them positively? Am I going to get the outcome out of this? She thinks she can challenge them.
“It’s other people coming in, making comments and posting stuff. That, to me, is just about getting attention. I cannot stand when past players post like, ‘Look at this, this is disgraceful to the program.’ But then you’re going to go try to talk to them in two or three months and be there celebrating in the winner’s circle. Don’t do that. We’re all a part of this program. There are things I agree with and don’t agree with, but I’m going to have my program’s back.”
After a tough 93–50 loss to South Carolina, Coach Caldwell called out her team saying they had “a lot of quit” tonight.
AdvertisementCandace and Aliyah react to her statement and the Tennessee fans reactions postgame. 👀 pic.twitter.com/okE1kXc8Qo
— Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston (@PostMovesShow) February 20, 2026
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Parker played under Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 2004-2008. In that time, she was a two-time national champion and was twice named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. In her final 2008 season, she was named the AP Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year (2x), Naismith College Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Award winner (2x) and an All-American (3x).
Parker was a three-time WNBA champion as a pro with the LA Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. She was MVP in the first finals win and a two-time league MVP. Parker was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, as well.
