On Sunday, Candace Parker, one of the greatest to ever play the game, announced on Instagram that she was retiring from the game she loves.
“I’m retiring,” wrote Parker. “I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it. 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.”
In a game-changing, Hall of Fame career spanning 16 years, Parker accomplished what players dream of.
The Naperville, Illinois native became a legend at Tennessee. Her career includes two NCAA titles (2007, 2008), two SEC Conference Championships (2006, 2008) and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2007, 2008). In 2008 alone, she won the U.S. Basketball Writers Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year, Associated Press Player of the Year, ESPN.com National Player of the Year, Honda-Broderick Cup Female Athlete of the Year, SEC Female Athlete of the Year and won an Olympic Gold Medal in Beijing.
That year, her junior year, she averaged 21.3 ppg and 8.5 rpg and became the number one overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the LA Sparks. She left Tennessee ranked in the top 10 in 19 categories and was eventually inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. She also became one of only seven women to have her jersey hung in the rafters at Thompson-Boling Arena (2014).
In her rookie season with the Sparks, she averaged 18.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg en route to taking home league MVP and Rookie of the Year honors, the first player in league history to do so.
In 2016, she helped the Sparks win the WNBA Championship, which was the first of three WNBA titles (2021, Chicago Sky and 2023, Las Vegas Aces). She also added another WNBA MVP award in 2013 when she averaged 17.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg.
Parker won another Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Games in London, was a seven-time WNBA All-Star and was named to the All-WNBA First Team seven times and the Second Team three times.
She also dominated internationally, winning the Russian League five times and the EuroLeague once.
In 2018, Parker entered sports broadcasting and became an analyst and commentator for NBA on TNT while continuing to play in the WNBA. A year later, she expanded her media duties by becoming an analyst for the NCAA Men’s DI Basketball Tournament and for NBA TV. These are roles she holds to this day.
Parker will be remembered for all of the accolades and championships she secured, including a few unique moments like becoming the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and the second woman, behind Lisa Leslie, to dunk in a WNBA game.
Her unique talents made her a versatile player. While she was recognized as a power forward, her ball-handling skills gave her the ability to run the offense at both the college and pro levels.
But at 38, nagging injuries finally caught up with Parker, resulting in Sunday’s announcement.
“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating,” wrote Parker. “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.”
So 25 years after falling in love with basketball at the age of 13, Parker is hanging up her jersey for good.
Yet while her playing days are over, her presence in basketball isn’t. Fans will continue to see her during college and pro basketball games, showing the same enthusiasm on camera that she did on the court.
And while she’ll be sad for a little while, her love for the game will never dissipate.
“No matter how you prepare for it, you won’t be ready for the gap it leaves in your soul. Forgive me as I mourn a bit, but I’ll be back loving the game differently in a while,” wrote Parker.
Congrats to Candace Parker on an amazing career, and we can’t wait to see you in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame soon.
