Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker (3) takes the ball upcourt during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun at Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay Saturday, July 1, 2023.
Sunday, April 28, 2024 | 11:09 a.m.
Candace Parker, one of the most notable women’s basketball players in history and part of the Las Vegas Aces championship team in 2023, has retired, she announced this morning on social media.
Parker wrote in an Instagram post that “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.”
Parker, 38, was the first player in WNBA history to win a championship with three franchises. She also won with Los Angeles (2016) and Chicago (2021).
The 6-foot-4 Parker spent one season in Las Vegas, averaging nine points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in helping the Aces start the season with a 16-2 record. She missed the remainder of the season with a foot injury.
“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating. It’s no fun playing in pain,” Parker wrote in the post.
Parker was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. A few months later, she became the first player in league history to be voted as the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
A new WNBA season starts May 24.
“I’m grateful that for 16 years I PLAYED A GAME for a living & DESPITE all the injuries, I hooped. I’m grateful for family, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers & fans who made this journey so special,” Parker wrote.