Parker Shows No Empathy for Auriemma After Staley Clash
Candace Parker expressed no sympathy for UConn coach Geno Auriemma following his confrontation with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley after their NCAA women's Final Four semifinal on April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. Auriemma had been upset over Staley's failure to join a customary pregame handshake, leading him to approach her at halfcourt at game's end. Staley yelled back as staff intervened.
Parker, a newly elected Basketball Hall of Famer and Amazon Prime Video NBA analyst, addressed the incident Saturday night. "In time, you see people's colors over and over again," she said. "And there can be a separation of time with that, but the colors always come to light. I think colors were shown yesterday on both sides, right? However you want to take that."
Auriemma apologized in a statement Saturday. "There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut," he said. "I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them." South Carolina ended UConn's undefeated season and gained revenge against the reigning champions.
Staley declined to dwell on the exchange, focusing on her team's national championship game against UCLA. "For me, no distractions at this time. I'm concentrating on winning a national championship, that’s it," she said. "That’s a little disheartening. This is sports, sometimes things like this happen. Continue to focus on my team and ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship."
