WNBA legend Candace Parker witnesses the rise in popularity of women’s basketball in real time.

Unfortunately for her, the sport is growing exponentially he arrived right after he retired.

Parker understands this surge in interest is due to superstars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese now in the league. But she also feels the networks tasked with bringing the WNBA to viewers didn’t do the league (or its past superstars) any favors during her playing career — and she called them out for it during her appearance on a recent episode of “The Deal” with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly.

“(The WNBA) is 28 years old. There’s a lot of leagues that took 30 years to really grow, so it’s coming,” Parker said. “Crazy people think I think they’re small fixes. And that’s where my role is, is to question and push and encourage.

“ABC, the first time they put the Women’s NCAA game on ABC was the first year Caitlin Clark did the championship game. Are you surprised that the number of viewers has increased? Are you surprised that people actually saw the product? It was buried for so long on ESPN,” she continued.

“There are so many times during NCAA play and even the WNBA playoffs … The NBA doesn’t want to clash with the NFL playoffs or the opening week of the NFL. So why would we put the WNBA? I don’t care if that’s the time frame they give you. Let’s fight for another or find something else.”

Parker then goes on to discuss how the rise of streaming and social media is making women’s basketball more accessible than ever, which comes at the perfect time as the sport’s biggest superstars (like Paige Bueckers) are now joining the WNBA.

While Parker may have missed the current WNBA boom during her playing days, her voice can still have a massive positive impact on the growth of the sport.