Candace Parker is heading to the Las Vegas Aces. Parker, the 7-time All-Star and 2-time WNBA MVP, announced in a post on her Instagram account that she will sign with the defending WNBA champions.
Parker said her family drove her decision to head to Vegas, writing in the caption that while she is a Chicago native, “my family’s home is on the west coast.”
“I need to be there for my daughter, for my son, for my wife,” Parker wrote. “I can’t be without them for parts of the season when Lailaa is in school and I won’t miss her volleyball games or school dances simply because of distance. Lailaa starts high school in August and I need to be there for her, just as she’s been there for me.”
Parker was an All-WNBA First Team selection last season, and helped lead the Chicago Sky to an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Connecticut Sun, where they lost in five games. The Sun would go on to fall to the Aces in four games in the WNBA Finals.
After spending the first 13 seasons of her career with the Los Angeles Sparks, Parker has played for her hometown Sky in each of the last two seasons. Last year, Parker averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 28.3 minutes per game.
Last season, the Aces went 26-10 and won the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.