Former No. 1 overall pick, three-time WNBA champion and two-time MVP Candace Parker announced her retirement on Sunday.
The 38-year-old forward spent the 2023 season with the Aces, appearing in 18 games with Las Vegas before a foot injury cut his season short.
In an Instagram post, Parker wrote, “I promised to never cheat the game and to leave it in a better place than when I started.” “The competitor in me always wants one more thing, but it’s time. My mind and body knew it, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.” I always wanted to leave the court in private with my loved ones, without any parades or tours.
“I left the court with my daughter when this was supposed to be my last game. I ended the journey with her the same way I started it. This offseason. It wasn’t fun to play with an uncooperative foot (10 surgeries in my career) and it’s not fun to know what you’re capable of, because. It’s not funny to hear “she’s different” when you know it, and it’s not funny to accept the necessary facts. Please do the surgery again. ”
After finishing his collegiate career at Tennessee, Parker was drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks, then spent two years with the Chicago Sky, where he remained for 13 years before spending his final campaign in Las Vegas.
She also won two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 and became one of the most prominent WNBA players throughout her career.
“Players today, have fun,” Parker wrote in an Instagram post. “No matter how much you prepare, nothing can prepare you for the hole it leaves in your soul. I’m sorry you’re a little sad, but you’ll love the game in a different way again after a while.”
