Candace Parker, three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, announces retirement

Candace Parker at all times said she knew when it was time to retire. That day got here on Sunday.

The three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist announced on social media that her profession was over after 16 seasons.

“The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time,” Parker wrote in an Instagram post. “My HEART and body knew it, but I had to give my mind time to accept it.”

In November, Parker, 38, told The Associated Press that she desired to play one other season if she will be able to get better from the foot injury that sidelined her last season. But she cautioned that she didn’t need to “deceive the game” or herself and expressed the identical when announcing she was retiring ahead of the Aces’ try and win a 3rd straight title. Parker has undergone 10 surgeries throughout her profession.

“I promised that I would never cheat the game and that I would leave it in a better place than I entered it. … I always wanted to leave the court without parades or tours, just privately with those I love,” she wrote. “It was speculated to be my last match after I left the pitch with my daughter. I ended the journey the identical way I began it, together with her.

Parker played her first 13 seasons within the league with the Los Angeles Sparks, already establishing her dominance because the No. 1 pick who won Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the identical season. Parker was the one WNBA player to perform the feat, averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while helping the Sparks improve by 10 wins in 2008.

Parker won her second MVP award in 2013 and won her first title in 2016 with the Sparks. She won her second title with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and her third with the Las Vegas Aces last season.

“It’s hard and bittersweet for me because I would love to have her with us this year. On the other hand, I know exactly what it feels like when the time comes, it’s time. The body tells you. This is not what your mind and heart says. It’s your body,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “She modified the sport. She modified what it meant to be a positional basketball player. She played all positions. She’s the one, if we’re talking about people who find themselves acting now and getting closer, practicing the Candace Parker moves.

She is the one player in league history to win the championship with three different teams.

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“The memories Candace Parker created for a generation of women’s basketball fans will forever be ingrained in our collective consciousness, but she gave so much more to the game beyond accolades and statistics,” the Aces said in a press release. “As a teammate and mentor, mother and wife, soccer player, broadcaster and businesswoman, she inspired countless young people, both boys and girls, to chase and realize their dreams.”

Parker played on Pat Summitt’s final two national champion teams at Tennessee in 2007 and 2008. She then left with one 12 months of eligibility remaining.

She won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 before shockingly being neglected of the 2016 squad.

“I think Candace has had an amazing career. I’m a little sad about that because you love going up against her, she’s a legend,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said. “What she did on and off the field was amazing for our league. I appreciate everything she has done to help me get to where I am. We will definitely miss her this season.”

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello trained Parker overseas in Russia for several years through the winter.

“She is a pioneer. She’s just an excellent person and what she’s done for the game,” Brondello said. “I hope it is going to be celebrated. I actually have loads of respect for her. Our children grew up together after I was training in Russia. It’s form of sad. Everyone knows when the time is true.

Parker began working in broadcasting during her profession. She has worked as an NCAA Tournament analyst for CBS Sports and NBA Television.

She had foot surgery in July 2023 and told the AP that it was still in pain late last 12 months.

“This offseason has not been pleasant for a foot that is not cooperating,” she wrote in her Sunday post. “My mission in life, as Pat Summitt always said, is to “pursue people and passions and you will never disappoint.” Being a wife and mom stays my No. 1 priority and I actually have learned that point flies, so I plan to enjoy my family to the fullest!”