Angel Reese admires Candace Parker’s inspiring influence in a succinct tribute
The WNBA is reacting to one of its finest players ever choosing to hang up her sneakers after 16 incredible seasons, and Candace Parker’s retirement has sparked a barrage of responses. Parker won the WNBA Finals while playing for the Los Angeles Sparks and the Chicago Sky, and she concluded her career as a winner with the Las Vegas Aces, her third career title.
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Parker guided the sixth-seeded Sky to their first-ever and so far-only WNBA Finals triumph in 2021, an improbable championship. Angel Reese hopes to alter that, and when she launches her professional career in the Windy City, her relationship with Parker will surely serve as an even greater source of inspiration.
Reese acknowledges that she considered wearing Parker’s number.
Reese planned to wear the #3 jersey in honor of Parker, who wore it throughout her career when the Sky selected her seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Reese wanted to honor a true trailblazer and a Chicago hero, so she decided to wear the #10 jersey she wore at LSU instead of giving it to Kamilla Cardoso, whom the Sky selected third overall.
Leaving the game better than she found it.
Thank you, @Candace_Parker for all you’ve done for basketball and congrats on a legendary career 🧡 pic.twitter.com/vaK2Z0GKJA
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 28, 2024
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However, Reese then recalled that, given Parker’s decision to stop playing professionally, the Sky will most likely retire her jersey soon. That played a part in Reese’s decision to accept the #5 jersey, which went on to sell out in less than a week.
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Having led the Sky to their lone championship three years ago, Parker is especially regarded as one of the most renowned players in WNBA history. Parker, a native of Chicago, stuffed the stat sheet with 13.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and two steals per night over 10 playoff games for Chicago, which came into the 2021 playoffs with a 16-16 record. Chicago went on to win the title by defeating the Connecticut Sun and the Phoenix Mercury.
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In a few years, Cardoso and Reese, the new frontcourt duo for the Sky, might propel Chicago back into the running for the championship. Reese, spurred on by her experiences watching her idol, might even be able to surpass her achievements with the team, given enough good fortune.
