Legendary WNBA player Candace Parker is officially retiring after an incredible 16-year career. Parker announced her decision to retire as WNBA training camp begins ahead of the 2024 season with a post on Instagram reflecting on her career.
"I'm grateful that for 16 years I played a game for a living & DESPITE all the injuries, I hooped. I'm grateful for family, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers and fans who made this journey so special," Parker said in part of her post.
With the Sparks, her career immediately took off. Parker instantly set records, breaking the debut game-scoring record with 34 points. She would become just the second WNBA player to dunk in a WNBA regulation game, and then helped Team USA take gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As just a rookie, Parker became the WNBA MVP, Rookie of the Year and led the league in rebounds. She remains the only WNBA player to win the MVP award as a rookie.
Parker would play for the Sparks for over a decade from 2008 to 2020, helping the team win their third WNBA championship. She then joined the Chicago Sky for two seasons from 2021-2022, helping them win their lone WNBA championship. In all, Parker won three WNBA championships and one with every team she played for.
Along with being a champion, Parker was a seven-time WNBA All-Star, a two-time WNBA MVP, the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and is a member of both the WNBA 20th Anniversary Team and the WNBA 25th Anniversary Team. She finishes her career ninth in total career points with 6,574, third in rebounds with 3,467, and eighth in assists with 1,567.
Unfortunately for Parker, she had to deal with multiple injuries that kept her off the court in her career. This included undergoing surgery last July during the middle of the WNBA season to fix a foot fracture. She underwent ten surgeries throughout her career, yet still managed to consistently be one of the best in the game.
"Forgive me as I mourn for a bit, but I'll be back loving the game differently in a while," Parker said.
Upon retirement, Parker will continue to be involved in the game. She plans to continue her career as a broadcaster and also plans to own both an NBA and WNBA team. She remains one of the best players to ever step onto a basketball court in women's history and will be remembered well forever.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Eva is a contributing sports writer. She graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has ... Read more
