Candace Parker: Three-Time WNBA Champion, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Announces Retirement After 16 Seasons with Sparks, Sky, Aces

Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker announced her retirement from professional basketball in a social media post on Sunday. The former No. 1 overall pick played 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. In her farewell message on Instagram, she revealed that both her heart and body knew it was time to retire but acknowledged that her mind took some convincing due to a persistent foot injury.
“I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” Parker wrote. “The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time.” She added: “This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating… It’s no fun hearing ‘she isn’t the same’ when I know why…”
Parker retires as a two-time Olympic gold medalist and has been named to both the WNBA’s Top 20 at 20 and its Women of Inspiration (W25) teams, which honour the league’s greatest players. During her career she was selected for the All-WNBA team ten times and appeared in seven WNBA All-Star games.
Parker led the Sparks to playoff appearances on 11 occasions during her thirteen years with Los Angeles; that period culminated when they claimed the title in 2016, their first since moving from Houston. In her debut season she became the only player ever to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in a single campaign (in 2008).
The three-time All Star with Chicago went on to sign as free agent for Las Vegas Aces last year, helping them secure their first WNBA championship despite injuries ruling her out before its culmination. “Through an historic season filled with adversity both on and off the court we couldn’t have asked for a better teammate than Candace Parker,” said the franchise in a statement as she bid farewell. “While this means it is goodbye, Aces fans should rest assured that they will see her back here soon enough.”
The daughter of former NBA player Sara and professional tennis coach Anthony – who herself was an All-American at Tennessee – Candace Parker led Lady Vols to two NCAA national championship titles in 2007 and 2008. She received the coveted Wade Trophy as most outstanding female basketball college athlete both times, becoming only the second player ever to do so after Lisa Leslie had won it for Southern California four years prior (it would later be presented by Candace Parker in recognition of Chiney Ogwumike’s achievements at Stanford).
Parker joins other recently-retired legends like Swin Cash and Taurasi, both now working as commentators. “I fell in love with a little orange ball at 13 years old,” she wrote on Instagram. “The highs are unmatched & the lows taught me lessons… I’m grateful that for 16 years I PLAYED A GAME for a living.”
Basketball News · Nuggets center Nikola Jokic to undergo appendix surgery, miss preseason games – CBSSports.comThe Denver Nuggets’ superstar big man will sit out the upcoming exhibition slate while he recovers from an undisclosed illness. Who is Candace Parker and what achievements did she have during her basketball career?