Candace Parker keeps twisting her ankle in pregame warmups and it’s confusing as hell

Candace Parker is having a great postseason. Currently leading her team to back-to-back WNBA Finals appearances, and as a 6’4 center, is leading the WNBA playoffs in assists at six per game. She’s the true point-forward of today’s game, and always has been.

But something weird keeps happening during her 2017 playoff run. She keeps twisting her left ankle in pregame warmups. The first time happened ahead of Game 1 of the semifinals against the Mercury.

She went straight to the locker room after it happened, but went on to play the entire game. The Sparks won that game 79-66, but she was clearly in pain for all 40 minutes. Parker seemingly played through it as far we could tell, sweeping the Mercury in the semifinals and moving onto the Finals. Parker also looked great in Game 1 of the Finals, so the ankle was mostly forgotten.

Until Game 2.

That’s when the exact same thing happened again. Parker was once again warming up by herself and it’s as if her ankle just completely gave out. You can see how far the ankle turns and knowing it’s happened once before, this has to hurt. How does this happen not once, but twice?

Of course, Parker played the entire game not letting the ankle stop her, but it’s hard not to think she may be playing through more pain that we realize. She had zero points in the first half and didn’t look herself. Parker is a 6’4 center, but she’s the original unicorn that we talk so much about in the NBA. The offense runs through her, often on the perimeter. The Sparks have plenty of stars, but Parker is the piece that makes it all work.

After the first time Parker rolled her ankle, she spoke after the game saying, “I’ve been battle-tested my whole career with injuries. This was nothing new.” And it’s true. She tore her ACL in high school, again in college, and her meniscus during her sophomore season in the WNBA. I doubt an ankle roll in the WNBA Finals will stop her now.