Candace Parker is not adding her name to the recent list of basketball greats who have said goodbye to the WNBA. At least, she doesn’t think so.

After Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles – the latter of which came into the league the same year as Parker – announced their retirements during the 2022 season, questions about Parker’s status began to surface.

During All-Star Weekend in Chicago, Parker joked that she would know it was time to retire when she couldn’t get her leg over the Peloton she uses for offseason cardio.

She followed that up after her team was eliminated from the 2022 playoffs by the Connecticut Sun with a more poignant answer.

“Just like I do every season, I’m going to go back and re-evaluate whether I’m able to continue to play at the level that I hold myself to,” she said. “And I think that’s the biggest thing, I don’t ever want to cheat the game. I won’t cheat the game.

“So when I’m not able to go out and play and be the Candace that I want to be, I won’t play.”

Now, it seems Parker has done her evaluations, and she plans to play in 2023.

The Chicago star joined the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast to discuss her future.

“I plan to play, I plan to come back, but at the same time, last year was the reverse,” she said in Wednesday’s edition of the podcast. “I couldn’t imagine lacing up shoes again. I couldn’t imagine going through game 27 on the schedule. And then a switch flipped in February and I was ready to go. I like to take the offseason and take my time, but right now, I don’t know if I’ve dribbled my last ball.”

Candace Parker plans on playing in the 2023 @WNBA season, she announced on @richarddeitsch podcast. pic.twitter.com/sWL06dOZvj

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) November 16, 2022

Parker has enjoyed a historic career, one that started at Tennessee, where she played for the Volunteers and coach Pat Summitt from 2004-08. Parker was selected first overall in the 2008 draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 12 years with the franchse and helped the Sparks to a title in 2016, earning the Finals MVP trophy.

When Parker does retire, she will likely finish her career with her current team, the Chicago Sky. Parker joined the Sky as a free agent in 2021, returning to her roots. The 36-year-old forward grew up in Naperville, Illinois, just outside of the city. She went on to lead Chicago to a title in 2021.

During her career, Parker has been named WNBA MVP two times (2008 and 2013), won two titles, and been named to the WNBA First Team seven times.

The University of Washington women's soccer team completed the 2025 Big Ten double on Sunday, when the No. 13 Huskies defeated the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans in a championship match penalty shootout to lift the conference tournament trophy — just one week after winning the regular-season title.

The weekend victory proved an emotional one for the Huskies, coming just days after the team lost 21-year-old senior goalkeeper Mia Hamant to Stage 4 kidney cancer on Thursday.

"Obviously, it's been a hard week but it just shows how much this team loves each other, how much they care about each other, and how much we love Mia," said University of Washington head coach Nicole Van Dyke.

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"Mia's been with us the whole time," Van Dyke continued. "She's a part of everything we do and she will always be. I can't put into words how appreciative we are of the support that everyone that has given her, her family, this team, our program. I'm just so happy for these kids."

How to watch Washington in the 2025 NCAA tournament Selection Show

The Washington Huskies will now join the weekend's 29 other conference champions in finding out their 2025 NCAA College Cup paths on Monday, when the national committee reveals its 64-team Division I tournament bracket at 4 PM ET.

The 2025 NCAA soccer tournament Selection Show will stream live on NCAA.com.

World No. 5 Elena Rybakina lifted her first-ever WTA Finals trophy on Saturday, when the 2022 Wimbledon champ upset No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(0) to close out the 2025 tennis calendar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 26-year-old Kazakhstan star — who notably was the final player in the eight-athlete field to secure her tournament spot — capped her run on a winning tear, taking down No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula en route to the 2025 title.

"It's been an incredible week. I honestly didn't expect any result, and to go so far is just incredible," Rybakina said following her championship-winning match.

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Handing Sabalenka just her second-ever defeat in the final match of the WTA Finals — and doing so with just the third dropped tie-break in Sabalenka's 2025 season — Rybakina emerged from the end-of-year round-robin tournament without a single loss — earning her a women's tennis-record $5.23 million winner's check.

"She played incredible," Sabalenka said of her opponent, after Rybakina scored an impressive eight aces against the world No. 1 in the clash. "I feel like I did my best today. It didn't work, but I think so many things I have to be proud of. And yeah, I'm leaving this tournament without any disappointment."

No. 2-seed Washington have booked their second straight NWSL semifinals berth, after a short-staffed Spirit bested a resilient No. 7 Racing Louisville side in penalty kicks following Saturday's 1-1 quarterfinal draw.

Washington forward Gift Monday first broke the 0-0 stalemate in the 73rd minute after VAR called back an early Spirit goal, while Racing forward Kayla Fischer managed to keep Louisville's hopes alive with a second-half stoppage time equalizer.

Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury then played penalty shootout hero for a second straight year, blocking two sharply hit strikes to allow the Spirit to advance 3-1.

"At the end of the day, there was no chance that we could lose this game," said Spirit head coach Adrián González postgame. "It was a matter of just keep insisting — that's the mentality we have."

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The Spirit had more than Racing's tenacity to contend with this weekend, however, as an MCL strain continues to sideline star forward Trinity Rodman.

Washington defenders Gabby Carle and Tara McKeown both exited Saturday's match with injuries, as well, as players pile up on the Spirit's availability report.

How to watch the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL semifinals

No. 2 Washington will next face No. 3 Portland in the 2025 NWSL semis, with the Thorns punching their record-10th semifinal ticket by downing the No. 6 San Diego Wave 1-0 in their own extra-time showdown on Sunday.

The Spirit take on the Thorns for a shot at competing for the 2025 NWSL title at 12 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on CBS.

Reigning NWSL champs Orlando kicked off their repeat title bid in style, with the No. 4-seed Pride topping a tough No. 5 Seattle Reign 2-0 to punch their ticket to the 2025 semifinals on Friday.

Orlando midfielder Haley McCutcheon opened scoring in the 21st minute, giving the Pride a slim lead well into the second half before captain Marta broke out into a 100-yard solo dash through Seattle's backline, earning the second-half stoppage-time penalty kick that ultimately put the match out of the Reign's reach.

"We have talked so much about this season and compared it to last season," Marta said postgame. "Of course, we don't do the same things we did last year, but we have the same players and the same mentality. We still work so hard and still believe."

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After Marta put on the burners to earn that kick from the spot, the Brazil legend chose to cede the spotlight to a beloved teammate.

Marta gave the ball to fellow Pride and Brazil star Luana, a midfielder who recently returned to the pitch after successfully battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma — with Luana going on to sink the penalty to mark her first goal in an Orlando jersey.

"Handing the ball over to Luana optimizes Marta as an individual," said Orlando manager Seb Hines. "She never puts herself above the team and gave the ball to Luana to have her moment."

How to watch the Orlando Pride in the 2025 NWSL semifinals

The No. 4 Orlando Pride will next host No. 8 Gotham FC in the 2025 NWSL semifinals.

The pair will kick off their clash at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on ABC.