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Candace Parker: Las Vegas Aces ‘met all my needs’

Candace Parker signed with the Las Vegas Aces in WNBA free agency. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Candace Parker is all about relationships.

That’s a big part of why the 36-year-old signed with the Las Vegas Aces. Team president Nikki Fargas was an assistant coach at Tennessee when Parker played there, and she recruited Parker to play for the Vols. Parker’s wife played on the Russian national team with Becky Hammon. And Aces point guard Chelsea Gray and her wife are godparents to Parker’s son Airr.

The franchise also checks the box of being relatively close to family in Los Angeles for Parker’s 13-year-old daughter Lailaa. And of course, as a player, Parker was drawn to the defending champions.

“Las Vegas met all my needs from a basketball standpoint, and from a family standpoint as well,” she said Tuesday in her introductory press conference.

Parker signed with Las Vegas in free agency after playing two seasons for the Chicago Sky, with whom she won the 2021 title. Prior to that, Parker played 13 seasons for the Los Angeles Sparks, the franchise that drafted her first overall in 2008, winning a title in 2016.

In order to make room for Parker, a seven-time All-WNBA first-teamer, the Aces traded Dearica Hamby to the Sparks. The move garnered controversy when Hamby took to social media to make accusations against the Aces, claiming they wouldn’t have traded her if she was not pregnant. The 29-year-old forward stated that she was “lied to, manipulated and discriminated against” by the team.

In her introductory press conference with the Sparks, though, Hamby asked Las Vegas fans not to blame current Aces players for her exit, including Parker.

As for Aces management, they didn’t directly mention Hamby in Parker’s introductory press conference. But Fargas made a statement that seemingly alluded to the situation.

“All decisions that we have made to assemble this team by the front office is to assemble the best team possible,” she said. “When putting together a team there are times when a trade will happen, but that is for us to also remain competitive.”

The addition of Parker certainly makes the Aces more competitive, which is a difficult feat for a team coming off a WNBA championship.

The 15-year veteran averaged 13.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in her two seasons with Chicago.

“It’s going to actually be on her team instead of playing against her or coaching against her,” Hammon said. “Going into the offseason, looking at pieces that we felt like we needed to fill in order to defend our title, she fits the piece.”

Hammon went on to praise Parker’s overall skills, basketball mind and passing ability.

“She does everything,” Hammon said. “So to be able to add, not just her championship culture and mentality that she brings in, but also the human aspect of it. I’m super excited to bring her into our locker room.”

Parker joked that playing against the Aces gave her headaches the last two seasons due to their overall firepower and ability to space the court. She’s excited to be a part of the system, and she expects to play several different roles for the team, depending on what is needed in each game.

“The evolution of what is needed game to game, part of what I want to bring is to fill that need,” she said. “If it’s defensive rebounding, if it’s facilitating, playmaking, scoring, whatever it is.”

WNBA Injury Report Mounts After Opening-Weekend Slate

LA's Rae Burrell shoots a free throw during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell is expected to miss six to eight weeks of WNBA play due to a knee injury. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

While most WNBA stars hit the court running this weekend, a few saw their 2025 campaigns already shortened as teams released season-opening injury reports.

Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper will miss four to six weeks of play, the Mercury reported on Saturday, after the 2024 Olympic gold medalist underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her left knee last week.

Another knee injury has LA's Rae Burrell sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, after the fourth-year guard took a knock to the right leg just 41 seconds into the Sparks' 2025 debut win over Golden State.

On Friday, the Mystics released updates on both second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards and rookie guard Georgia Amoore. While another assessment of the Unrivaled 1v1 runner-up's back injury will occur in two more weeks, Washington confirmed that the Australian standout will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after undergoing a successful surgery to repair her right ACL.

Seattle's Katie Lou Samuelson is also out for the full 2025 campaign, with the 27-year-old Storm forward recovering from last week's successful surgery after tearing her right ACL in practice on May 1st.

Las Vegas's Elizabeth Kitley shoots a basket during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
2024 Las Vegas draftee Elizabeth Kitley returned from injury to make her WNBA debut on Saturday. (Louis Grasse/Getty Images)

Kitley makes long-awaited WNBA debut as Brink eyes return

In more uplifting news, LA's Cameron Brink is on track to return to the Sparks sometime next month, one year after her standout rookie season came to a halt in a left ACL tear.

Already celebrating, however, is 2024 second-round draftee Elizabeth Kitley, who battled back from injury to make her WNBA debut and score her first league points in Las Vegas's Saturday loss to New York.

The Aces took a draft chance on Kitley, despite the center suffering an ACL tear in her final NCAA postseason. In response, the former Virginia Tech star successfully translated her year-long delayed shot at a pro career by surviving Las Vegas's brutal 2025 roster cuts.

Notably, Kitley's close friend and collegiate on-court counterpart with the Hokies is the aforementioned Amoore, who will aim for a rookie-season redo of her own next year.

Kansas City Eyes the NWSL Shield as Gotham Skid Continues

Temwa Chawinga celebrates her game-winning goal against Orlando with Kansas City teammates Bia Zaneratto and Debinha.
First-place Kansas City has a four-point lead in the 2025 NWSL Shield race after this weekend's win. (Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images)

The No. 1 Kansas City Current strengthened their grip on the 2025 NWSL Shield race on Friday, taking down now-No. 3 Orlando 1-0 on the road to earn a four-point lead atop of the NWSL table.

Reigning league MVP Temwa Chawinga scored the top-table game's lone goal. With five goals in nine matches, Chawinga now sits in a four-way tie for second place in the 2025 Golden Boot race.

"If you don't come with heart, you have no chance," Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the match. "And today I think we showed heart."

Kansas City now stands 7-2-0 on the season, putting the NWSL Shield firmly within their grasp.

Kansas City's rise aside, the weekend's biggest drama hovered near the playoff line.

Gotham FC fell to No. 2 San Diego 1-0 on Friday, sending the Bats skidding to No. 8 on a three-game winless streak while boxing No. 9 North Carolina out of playoff contention — despite the rising Courage securing their third win in four games with Saturday's 2-0 victory over last-place Chicago.

"Obviously, we were hot for a little bit, and teams have slumps all the time, so now it's just finding a way," Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell said of the team's recent struggles.

While some rebuilds soar, last year's postseason contenders are still finding their way as the league moves into the second third of the 2025 season.

WNBA Launches Investigation into Fan Misconduct After Clark-Reese Spat

Indiana's Caitlin Clark commits a hard foul on Chicago's Angel Reese during their 2025 WNBA season opener.
The WNBA is investigating Indiana fan conduct after Caitlin Clark’s Flagrant 1 foul on Angel Reese. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Indiana's 35-point blowout win over Chicago wasn't Saturday's only newsmaker, as a controversial foul on Sky forward Angel Reese by Fever guard Caitlin Clark sparked intense off-court conversations and a WNBA investigation into subsequent fan misconduct.

Clark's third-quarter foul against Reese incited a brief dust-up between the second-year stars, with Clark's offense upgraded to a Flagrant 1 while Reese and Fever center Aliyah Boston picked up a pair of offsetting technicals for their reactions.

"Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on," Reese said after the game, while Clark told reporters, "It was just a good play on the basketball. I'm not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that's up to their discretion."

Immediately following the flagrant ruling, however, Indiana fans allegedly directed racially charged remarks toward Reese, prompting the league to open an investigation on Sunday.

Officials acknowledged allegations of racist abuse inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, saying the WNBA "strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms," and that they're "looking into the matter."

"We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players," said Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines, who oversees the Fever, in a statement.

"We will do everything in our power to protect Chicago Sky players, and we encourage the league to continue taking meaningful steps to create a safe environment for all WNBA players," echoed Sky CEO and president Adam Fox.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Fever-related fan misconduct has taken center stage, as last season's storylines start to spill over into the 2025 WNBA campaign.

In anticipation of the issue, the league launched "No Space for Hate" on Thursday, describing the campaign as "a multi-dimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior."

2025 WNBA Season Tip-Off Spotlights Top Rookies and MVP Contenders

Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers takes a shot during the Wings' 2025 WNBA season opener against Minnesota.
Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers scored the first basket against Minnesota in the pair's 2025 WNBA season opener. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA season tipped off with a bang this weekend, with blockbuster rookie debuts, early MVP candidates, and a high-energy team launch driving headlines.

The league's sharpshooters wasted no time in establishing their dominance, as high-scoring performances erupted from coast to coast.

Saturday saw Las Vegas's 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson drop 31 points and 16 rebounds against reigning champs New York, but a breakout 22-point, nine-assist performance from Liberty newcomer Natasha Cloud secured the Brooklyn squad a 92-78 win.

Also on Saturday, Caitlin Clark notched her first triple-double of the season, racking up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to boost the Indiana Fever 93-58 over the Chicago Sky.

Meanwhile, with seven points of her own, Indiana's DeWanna Bonner passed Houston legend Tina Thompson on the WNBA's all-time scoring list to sit at No. 3 behind only retired Phoenix superstar Diana Taurasi and current Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles.

Across Minnesota's two weekend games, 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier tallied an impressive 57 points, fueling an undefeated Lynx run that left both Dallas and LA in the dust.

Making franchise history this weekend were Phoenix's Satou Sabally and LA's Kelsey Plum, whose 27- and 37-point debuts were the highest scoring performances ever recorded by a roster newcomer on each respective team.

Washington rookie Kiki Iriafen leaps for a rebound during a 2025 WNBA season opening weekend game.
Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen recorded a double-double in her second-ever WNBA game. (Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

2025 WNBA Draft class hits the court

Speaking of debuts, the new kids in the league also made a splash, with several 2025 draftees making their first professional minutes count.

Dallas rookie and 2025's overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers held her own in Friday's physical 99-84 loss to Minnesota, scoring the Wings' first basket en route to a 10-point performance.

Elsewhere, new Washington recruits Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen each dropped a pair of double-digit showings for a combined 65 points across their first two pro games, leading the Mystics to a surprise 2-0 start with opening weekend wins over Atlanta and Connecticut.

With the 2025 WNBA season officially in full swing, expect these early results to build as heavy-hitters continue to excel while new additions strive to meet — and exceed — expectations.

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