Candace Parker retires from professional basketball
Candace Parker, a three-time WNBA champion, declared her retirement on Sunday.
Parker, a two-time league MVP, declared on Sunday that she is finishing her 16-season career in a social media post.
Parker was a member of the Los Angeles Sparks during her first 13 seasons in the league.
Her 2008 season saw her average 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, making her the first player in WNBA history to be named both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. She also helped the Sparks improve their record to 10 wins.
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Parker made league history by being the first player to win a championship with three different clubs, following his victory with the Las Vegas Aces in the previous season. She had already won championships with the Chicago Sky (2021) and the Sparks (2016).
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“I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” Parker stated in a social media post. “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.”
More About Candace Parker
NBA basketball player Candace Parker, also known by her moniker “Ace,” is a former American. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team she last played for was the Las Vegas Aces.
Breaking: Candace Parker announced she is retiring from basketball after 16 seasons in the WNBA
What a career from one of the BEST to ever do it 👏 @HighlightHER pic.twitter.com/ePz0wLCcRu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2024
Regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was chosen by the Los Angeles Sparks as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft. She played for the Chicago Sky for two seasons, the Los Angeles Sparks for one, and the Las Vegas Aces for one, earning a title with each club during her tenure.
Blessed to have competed against you.
Blessed to have had you in an Aces uniform.
And most of all, blessed to have witnessed your greatness."There's only one Candace Parker. One of one." — Becky Hammon
Thank you, Cand𝗮𝗰𝗲. pic.twitter.com/Ck0p3imLJM
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) April 28, 2024
Parker won the WNBA Finals MVP Award in 2016 and guided the Sparks to their first WNBA Finals championship since 2002. She contributed to the Sky’s first championship in 2021. Parker has two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2008, 2013), a WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2008), and a WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award (2013).
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She was the first player to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year titles in the same season, and she has been chosen for six All-WNBA teams and five All-Star teams. On June 22, 2008, Parker became the second player in WNBA history to dunk.
Parker joined TNT Sports in 2018 as an analyst and pundit, covering the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as well as NBA games on TNT and NBA TV.
