Candace Parker never wanted to cheat in a game.
One would expect the same from a player shaped by the legacy of Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols. After 10 surgeries. After her rookie season, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first child, Leila. The offseason was spent playing in Russia, China and Turkey before spending time behind a desk at TNT, NBATV and CBS. Parker’s career spanned 16 seasons, three cities in the WNBA, four years at Tennessee and two Olympics, and it’s safe to say: Parker never cheated in the game. Instead, she almost felt like the game was supposed to offer her more.
Parker, 38, announced her retirement from the WNBA on Instagram on Sunday. Parker silently hit send in his home, hotel or gym to let the world know that one of the greatest players to ever step onto a basketball court would not be playing again.
No hint or warning was given to the WNBA community or the players she competed against over the years. And there will be no farewell season or months-long journey to retirement. It’s quick and concise. This was exactly what she wanted–exactly on her terms. She deserves it after her career was often derailed by injuries.
“I’ve always wanted to leave the stadium and not attend the parade or visit,” her Instagram caption read. “Just in private with the people I love.”
Parker’s final game in the WNBA, a 2-point loss en route to Dallas in 2023, is a footnote in her story. It may have been her last game on the court, but her last WNBA game was a league championship. Her third. She may be sitting at the end of the bench and not fully dressed, but she’s been vital to the Las Vegas Aces every step of the way. Parker came out as he always has – a winner, an incredible teammate and an advocate for the game.
When reading Parker’s message, my first thought was not about her final season in Las Vegas, but her final game in the 2021 season. After 13 seasons in Los Angeles, she returned to Chicago and brought a championship to the city. It’s the first offseason under the new CBA where free agency can flourish, and she — as one of the players who helped build the league — was one of the first to break the shocking free-agent news. A few months later in October, with 5 seconds left in a decisive Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, Parker grabbed the final rebound of the 2021 season and began dribbling down the court. When the time was up, she picked up the ball and rushed to the corner of the court, where her family was waiting. She jumped into their arms.
She returned to center court to celebrate with her teammates until she spotted Leila and motioned for her to run over. At that moment, the tears really started to fall. Parker played part of her rookie season while pregnant with Leila, so Leila has been a part of Parker’s basketball journey since birth.
This moment with Laila 💙@Candace_Parker | #skycity pic.twitter.com/6cQsv7QLrb
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) October 17, 2021
“Look at this city, man, they all showed up,” Parker said, her arms around her daughter, looking up at the sold-out arena. “They all showed up.”
But Parker has always been a player worth watching — the fans, the city, her family, free agency. That season also heralded rapid changes in the league as ratings and attendance rose. Chance the Rapper and Scottie Pippin were on the sidelines during that final game, but it was Laila who she held onto after the game.
Her basketball career has seen the game’s epic growth, which has accelerated over the past few seasons. In 2003, she became the first women’s basketball player to announce her college commitment on ESPN. She later became the first female player to dunk in an NCAA game. In the WNBA, she became the first (and only) player to win MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. She then became the first player to win three league titles with three teams.
She was one of the first female athletes to test the limits of positionless basketball. Even in college, her unicorn-like skills were undeniable. During the national championship game her senior year, play-by-play announcer Mike Patrick said: “It’s almost unfair – that someone her size has this speed and such ball control.”
But that’s not fair. Parker is just different. Perhaps ahead of her time. Maybe it’s just the right time. She broke through people’s perceptions of women’s basketball players. She continues to do that both on and off the court as a WNBA player.
She became a broadcaster, investor, owner of a professional women’s soccer team, spokesperson for Adidas Basketball, producer and mother (in addition to Leila, she and her wife, Anna Petrakov, are about to have a baby) their second child). She did all this while continuing to battle career-threatening injuries while rehabbing so she could continue to become one of the best players in the WNBA. Her commitment to the game never wavered. She refuses to give less than her all. Twenty years later, the memory of Samit not hesitating to kick her out of college training for not giving her 100 percent remains vivid in her mind.
After she announced her retirement, social media was flooded with photos of people — WNBA players, NBA players, athletes and fans — who admired Parker, both as a player and as a person.
“The biggest thing is she always did things her way,” former teammate Courtney Vandersloot told us Competitor. “She’s the kind of player who changes the game. What we’re seeing now is Candace did that early on.
Candace Parker retires from the WNBA.
I told her the news. This is her instant reaction ⬇️ https://t.co/t9CpY5wrnr pic.twitter.com/WD8unfrBdt
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) April 28, 2024
Parker has never cheated in a basketball game. She changed it. And, if anything, she has more championship attempts and more wins when fully healthy or with adequate supplements around her. Whether it was her last game, her last win or her last championship, Parker changed the expectations of women’s basketball players and WNBA players by being 100 percent herself. She stands on the shoulders of giants and lets others stand on her shoulders.
In 16 seasons in the WNBA, Parker played for her family, her city and her league. She proved that, when life often demands it, she can be almost as effective as a motivator and coach on the bench as she is on the field. Even in retirement, her impact will be felt through the movement she helped develop.
Now, the girl who fell in love with the “little orange ball” at age 13 can relax in retirement knowing it will bounce better for the next generation because of her.
(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
