3 Times Champion Candace Parker Announces Retirement After Historic 16-Year Career

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Three-time WNBA Champion, and two-time league MVP Candace Parker announced her retirement today following a storied 16-year career.

Three-time WNBA Finals MVP Candace Parker announced her retirement on social media Sunday.

Per a posting on Instagram, Parker wrote: “I’m retiring. I promised I’d never cheat the game and 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 and body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.”

“I’m grateful that for 16 years I PLAYED A GAME for a living and DESPITE all the injuries, I hooped. I’m grateful for family, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers and fans who made this journey so special.”

Candace Parker Career

Candace Parker Career Honors
WNBA Champion	3	2016 (LA), 2021 (CHI), 2023 (LV)
WNBA Most Valuable Player	2	2008, 2013
All-WNBA First Team	7	2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2022
All-WNBA Second Team	3	2009, 2015, 2018
WNBA All-Star	7	2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year	1	2020
WNBA All-Defensive Second Team	2	2009, 2012
WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player	1	2016
WNBA Rookie of the Year	1	2008
WNBA All-Star Most Valuable Player	1	2013
Olympic Gold Medalist	2	2008, 2012
NCAA Championship	2	2007, 2008
Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year	1	2007-08
John R. Wooden Award	2	2006-07, 2007-08
AP Player of the Year	2	2006-07, 2007-08
Final Four Most Outstanding Player	2	2007, 2008

Candace Parker Career WNBA Ranking
Points	6,574	9th
Field Goals	2,471	7^th
Field Goal Attempts	5,163	9th
Free Throws	1,290	13th
Free Throw Attempts	1,682	12th
Rebounds	3,467	3^rd
Rebounds Per Game	8.5	8^th
Defensive Rebounds	2,846	2^nd
Defensive Rebounds Per Game	6.9	3rd
Assists	1,634	7^th
Steals	521	16th
Blocks	619	5^th
Blocks Per Game	1.51	11^th

The 6-4 forward/center signed with the Aces prior to the 2023 season, and started the first 18 games of the year leading Las Vegas to a 16-2 record. She was averaging 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game before having surgery on her left foot which sidelined her for the remainder of the season. With the 2023 WNBA crown, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft became the first player in league history to win a championship with three different teams, having also done so with Los Angeles (2016) and Chicago (2021).

Named to the WNBA Top 20 at 20 and W25 teams, Parker is a 10-time All-WNBA honoree who played her first 13 seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Sparks. She became the first player in WNBA history to be named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season when she averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while helping the Sparks to a 10-win improvement in 2008.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Parker led LA to 11 playoff appearances, including the 2016 WNBA Championship. She earned her second MVP award in 2013 when she averaged 17.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

The Tennessee grad signed as a free agent with Chicago on February 1, 2021, and led the Sky to their first-ever WNBA Championship that same year.

As a collegian, Parker led the Lady Vols to the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Championships, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player accolades both years.

Since 2018, Parker has worked as an analyst and commentator for NBA on TNT, during the WNBA offseason. In 2019, she worked as an analyst for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Game, and began serving as an analyst and commentator for NBA TV and NCAA Tournament coverage on CBS Sports.