Candace Parker, WNBA Champion And Olympic Gold Medalist, Announces Retirement
Candace Parker has announced her retirement from the WNBA, ending a decorated professional career that saw her win three championship titles and two league MVP awards over the course of 16 years.
On Sunday (April 28), Parker shared the news with her followers on social media with a lengthy post expressing her love for the game and the factors that led her to call it quits. “I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” the 38-year-old began the post, which included a childhood photo of herself holding a basketball. “The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time.
“My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it. I always wanted to walk off the court with no parade or tour, just privately with the ones I love. What now was to be my last game, I walked off the court with my daughter. I ended the journey just as I started it, with her.”
Parker attributed her retirement in part to the string of injuries she’s battled during her career, including her struggle to recover from a foot procedure she underwent in 2023.
“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating. It’s no fun playing in pain (10 surgeries in my career) it’s no fun knowing what you could do, if only…it’s no fun hearing ‘she isn’t the same’ when I know why, it’s no fun accepting the fact you need surgery AGAIN.”
The star forward also shared her plans for the future, which includes sports ownership and other endeavors in business and entertainment, deeming her retirement as a new beginning. “I’m attacking business, private equity, ownership (I will own both a NBA & WNBA team), broadcasting, production, boardrooms, beach volleyball, dominoes (sorry babe it’s going to get more real) with the same intensity & focus I did basketball,” she added.
The former University of Tennessee standout harkened back to words spoken to her by her college coach, the late Pat Summit, while sharing her plans to dedicate more of her time to her family moving forward. She concluded, “My mission in life, like Pat Summitt always said, is to ‘chase people and passions and you will never fail.’ Being a wife & mom still remains priority #1 & I’ve learned that time flies, so I plan to enjoy my family to the fullest!”
After a standout high school career in which she was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the nation, Parker attended the University of Tennessee, winning two NCAA Championships and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player on both occasions. A two-time consensus national player of the year, Parker entered the WNBA draft in 2008 and was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks, earning Rookie of the Year honors.
In 2016, Parker led the Sparks to their first WNBA title in more than a decade and was named the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player. In 2021, Parker entered the free agency and signed with her hometown team, the Chicago Sky, leading the team to its first WNBA championship and the second of her career.
After her two-year deal with the Sky ended, Parker signed with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023, winning her third league title following the Aces’ defeat of the New York Liberty. Parker, who joined TNT as an analyst in 2018, will continue in that role moving forward.
See Candace Parker’s retirement announcement below.
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