One of the greatest basketball players of all-time is calling it a career, as Candace Parker announced on Sunday that she was retiring, making the announcement prior to the start of training camp for the Las Vegas Aces, posting a full message to fans on her Instagram page.
As Parker notes, she needed time to come around on retirement mentally, but her heart and body knew it was time for a little while now.
I’m retiring.
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.
I always wanted to walk off the court with no parade or tour, just privately with the ones I love. What now was to be my last game, I walked off the court with my daughter. I ended the journey just as I started it, with her.
This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating. 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.
Parker will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer as a 3-time WNBA champion, 2-time WNBA MVP, and 7-time WNBA All-Star, while also being a 2-time NCAA champion, 2-time NCAA Tournament MOP, and 2-time Olympic gold medalist. She finishes her career in the WNBA’s top-10 all-time in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks, as she was one of the most well-rounded players the league’s ever seen.
Parker will continue with her broadcasting career and notes that she wants to be part of an ownership group for both an NBA and WNBA team in the future.