May 3, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kathy Goodman admits she was wary of the hype about the impact Candace Parker would have on the Los Angeles Sparks.

But the team's co-owner was pleasantly surprised by the response.

Although Parker has yet to make her debut with the Sparks, the former Tennessee Lady Vols star is already boosting the team and the rest of the league at the box office, in merchandise sales and on the Web.

Los Angeles sold seven times the number of season tickets during the first week after the April 9 draft compared to the same period last year. Also, individual game ticket sales for the first eight days after the draft increased nearly threefold.

And the buzz hasn't been limited to Los Angeles. According to the WNBA, teams around the league are selling three times as many individual game tickets for when the Sparks are scheduled to visit.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)