‘It’s time’: Candace Parker, two-time WNBA MVP, announces retirement
Three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Candace Parker announced Sunday that she will retire after 16 seasons.
“I promised that I would never cheat the game and that I would leave it in a better place than where I came in,” Parker wrote in a message on social media. “The competitor in me always wants one more, but it’s time. My HEART and body knew it, but I had to give my mind time to accept it.”
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Parker played her first thirteen seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Sparks, establishing her dominance early as a No. 1 pick who won Rookie of the Year and League MVP in the same season. Parker was the first WNBA player to accomplish the feat, averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while helping the Sparks to a 10-win improvement in 2008.
Parker earned her second MVP award in 2013 and won her first title in 2016 with the Sparks. She would win a second title with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and a third with the Las Vegas Aces last season. She is the only player in the history of the competition to become champion with three different teams.
“The memories Candace Parker created for a generation of female basketball fans will forever be etched in our collective conscience, but she gave so much more to the game than just her accolades and statistics,” the Aces said in a statement. “As a teammate and mentor, mother and wife, baller, broadcaster and businesswoman, she has inspired countless young people, both boys and girls, to pursue and achieve their dreams.”