The LA Sparks will retire the No. 3 jersey of WNBA icon Candace Parker in 2025, the team announced on Thursday.
The ceremony will take place during the team’s June 29th game against the Chicago Sky.
"To see my jersey hanging in the rafters amongst other legends is truly an honor. This moment is not just about me — it’s about my family, my teammates, and the incredible support from the LA Sparks organization and fans,” said Candace Parker in a statement.
"This jersey represents all the moments, all the connections, and all the love that got me here.”
Spending her first 13 seasons in LA, the 2024 retiree won WNBA MVP twice with the Sparks. She additionally led the Sparks to a WNBA championship in 2016.
Moreover, she was named 2008 Rookie of the Year, 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, and 2016 Finals MVP.
Parker still leads the storied organization in total assists, ranking second all-time in rebounds and third in points scored.
The Sparks will also help launch Parker's book, The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions.
As part of the ceremony, LA will integrate book-themed activations. This will allow fans to "engage with Candace’s story both on and off the court."
Basketball great praises Parker ahead of jersey retirement
Among those singing Parker's praises was Sparks co-owner and retired Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
“Candace is the best all-around player that has ever played in the WNBA. Her legacy is immeasurable — she redefined excellence, was a champion on the court and for the Los Angeles community and inspired countless fans and future generations of athletes," said Johnson.
"Very few champions get to see their jersey hanging from the rafters in this city. Retiring Candace’s No. 3 jersey is not just a celebration of her extraordinary career, but a tribute to the enduring mark she's left on this organization, the WNBA, and the city of Los Angeles. She will forever be a part of the Sparks family."
Tennessee is officially in the running to host the 16th WNBA franchise, as an ownership group including retired basketball icon Candace Parker, NFL legend Peyton Manning, former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam, and country music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw announced Nashville's bid on Thursday.
Led by Haslam and his wife, Crissy, the investor group has named the prospective 2028 expansion team the Tennessee Summitt, in honor of the late legendary University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.
"We recognize the emergence of professional sports for women across the globe, at the same time observing the void in our state," Haslam said in a statement. "We believe a WNBA team, based in Nashville, could serve as a beacon for girls and women, young and old, across Tennessee."
Parker's "pinch-me moment"
Three-time WNBA champion Parker, who won two NCAA titles with Tennessee under Summitt, took to social media to mark what she called "a real pinch-me moment."
"If you know me, you know how important and impactful Coach Summitt IS on my life," Parker wrote. "Coach makes me the best version of myself as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teammate, and person. I'm honored that we are submitting a bid to the @wnba today for a franchise to be named in her honor."
In her 38-year career, Summitt led the Vols to 18 Final Fours, winning eight NCAA championships. She retired in 2012 after a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's, eventually exiting with an all-time 1,098-208 record.
WNBA ramps up expansion plans
Following years of stasis, the WNBA is shifting into an aggressive expansion mode, with new 2025 team Golden State, plus 2026 debutants Toronto and Portland already earning the league's 13th, 14th, and 15th franchises.
With plans to have 16 teams in play by 2028, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously confirmed that the league had identified 10 to 12 ideal markets.
Bidding remains open for the current expansion round's final team, with Nashville joining Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Cleveland, and others eyeing the 16th spot.
Should their bid be successful, the Tennessee Summitt ownership group is planning to sweeten the deal by building a dedicated training facility that would also "serve as a hub for youth basketball" in the area. Additionally, Bridgestone Arena, the current home of the NHL's Nashville Predators, will host the proposed team's games.
Chicago forward Angel Reese continues to make WNBA history, setting a new league record for consecutive double-doubles this past weekend.
Reese had her 10th-straight double-double against Commissioner's Cup champs Minnesota, finishing with 10 points and 16 rebounds in the 70-62 loss. The streak one-ups the previous record set by then-LA Sparks star Candace Parker in 2015.
"She's gonna continue to do what she does, that's who she is, she's always gonna come out and play hard and confident and give you everything that she has," Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said of Reese’s performance on Sunday, which included going 4-of-16 from the floor. "She's the hardest person on herself, so proud of what she's doing and what she'll continue to do."
With three more double-doubles, Reese could break the longest streak in W history, also currently held by Parker, who put up 12 straight between 2009 and 2010. The only other player in Chicago history to put up more than seven consecutive double-doubles is Sylvia Fowles, who had two runs of eight in 2011 and 2012.
This marked the third time in the last four games that Reese registered at least 15 rebounds. She currently leads the league with 11.4 per game.
Two-time WNBA champion and league MVP A’ja Wilson is getting her own shoe.
The WNBA star announced the pending arrival of her long-awaited Nike signature on Saturday, the same day that the Las Vegas Aces played the Puerto Rican national team at South Carolina. The preseason matchup was a homecoming for Wilson, who played for the Gamecocks and grew up in Columbia —making it a fitting moment to drop the news.
Wilson showed up to the arena with a sweatshirt that read "Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com," revealing a URL that redirects to Nike’s website. The sneaker will be called the A’One.
The shoe — along with Wilson’s signature collection — will arrive in 2025. Having first signed with the athletic mega-brand as a rookie in 2018, the former No. 1 draft pick has reportedly been refining designs with Nike for over a year.
"It's been incredible working with Nike toward a dream of having my collection, and it really is an honor to take this next step and become a Nike signature athlete," Wilson said in Saturday's press release. "From my logo to the look of the shoe and the pieces throughout the collection, we've worked to make sure every detail is perfectly tuned to my game and style."
She told Andscape’s Aaron Dodson that the highlight for her was being able to announce the drop in conjunction with the Aces’ trip to her alma mater and hometown.
"The biggest thing for me is I get to showcase what I've been working on for a couple of years now in my home state, in my home city," Wilson said. "A place where people watched me grow and I raised eyebrows like, 'Is she really that good?!' To then seeing me in college and now in the pros."
When the A'One debuts, the 27-year-old will most likely be the 14th WNBA athlete to receive a signature shoe. Current players with active shoe contracts include Breanna Stewart, Elena Delle Donne, and Sabrina Ionescu. Caitlin Clark is next in line to receive a shoe in her new deal with Nike, although the brand has yet to confirm that detail.
After talk of Clark's shoe-inclusive Nike deal hit the headlines in mid-April, questions arose around Wilson's lack of signature footwear, with many pointing to a dearth of Black representation within the recent influx of shoe collaborations. The last Black WNBA player to receive her own shoe was Candace Parker with Adidas in 2010, while Wilson marks the first Black WNBA player to ink a Nike shoe agreement since Sheryl Swoopes in 2002.
"There's definitely value in patience," Wilson told Andscape. "That's something [South Carolina] Coach [Dawn] Staley has taught me — that some of the best things come from waiting and 'what's delayed is not denied.' That's something I have tatted on me. That's something I live through. So it's something I'm going to stick through."
In a news release, Nike said they were "proud to introduce A'ja Wilson as the newest member of the brand's signature family, marking the next chapter of partnership with one of basketball's greatest athletes."
Wilson is working with the same shoe designer that partnered with Ionescu, as well as Kyrie Irving before the Mavericks shooting guard parted ways with Nike in 2022. Wilson's upcoming signature collection will be "inspired by her distinctive style, incredible performance, and unapologetic realness," per Nike. "As one of the most iconic basketball players of her generation, of course, she got a shoe," they added.
Wilson’s hopes for the shoe is that girls wearing it can "feel powerful and understand that nobody can stop them from their dreams."
"It’s been an incredible ride, but there’s a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders now because it was starting to get hard," Wilson told Andscape. "But with the movement and growth of the game, I feel like this was the perfect time to say, 'Hey, I got a shoe on the way.'"
Recently retired WNBA superstar Candace Parker has her next gig lined up: president of women’s basketball at Adidas.
Parker announced her retirement at the end of April, bringing a close to a 16-year professional career spanning three WNBA championship titles with three different teams. And now, she’s stepping into a slightly different role — this time off the court — with longtime sponsor Adidas.
"The brand and I have grown together, and we’ve done some amazing things," she told Fast Company in an exclusive interview published Wednesday morning. "I’m excited about what the future holds on this side of things, because I’m so passionate about growing the game of basketball."
Parker initially signed with Adidas at the end of her first professional season in 2008, going on to spend the vast majority of her illustrious WNBA career linked to the German athletic brand. In 2010, she became the first woman to receive a signature Adidas shoe: the ACE Commander.
Her most recent Adidas collaborations include basketball sneakers Exhibit B (2022) and Exhibit Select (2023) in a variety of different colorways, as well as limited edition off-court apparel.
In 2022, Parker led a mentorship program for the brand’s first class of NIL-sponsored college athletes, a stacked roster that involved the likes of rising star Hailey Van Lith, among others. In her new position, she’ll be "overseeing pretty much everything" when it comes to the brand’s women’s basketball operations.
That "everything" includes weighing in on shoe and clothing design, navigating new and existing athlete partnerships, and taking control of Adidas' grassroots growth strategies. She’ll also help with "how we actually speak to the women’s basketball consumer," Eric Wise, who leads the brand’s global basketball business, told Fast Company.
According to Parker, the decision to accept the offer hinged on her desire to be more than just "the face" of Adidas women’s basketball.
"I said to [Adidas], 'I don’t want to be a mascot,'" Parker said. "'I really want to be in the meetings, and I want to be a part of making decisions.'"
Legendary WNBA superstar Candace Parker announced her retirement from professional basketball on Sunday, effective immediately.
"I promised I'd never cheat the game & that I'd leave it in a better place than I came into it," she wrote in an Instagram post. "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."
The Las Vegas Aces forward was in the midst of rehabbing a right ankle injury and a left foot fracture after missing part of the 2023 season.
One of women's basketball's most prominent trailblazers, Parker popularized the play of a "big guard." A back-to-back NCAA National Championship winner with Tennessee, she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. She was named both WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year in her debut season with the league.
Parker exits the pros a three-time WNBA champion, a two-time league MVP, seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and two-time NCAA champion, in addition to many more individual accolades. Throughout her 16-year career, she averaged 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, and four assists per game. She remains the only player in WNBA history to earn three WNBA titles with three different teams: LA in 2016, Chicago in 2021, and Las Vegas in 2023.
In her announcement, the 38-year-old implied the physical toll of league play was a driving factor in her ultimate decision to walk away from the game, despite recently signing a one-year deal with Las Vegas.
"This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating," she wrote. "It’s no fun playing in pain (10 surgeries in my career) it’s no fun knowing what you could do, if only…it’s no fun hearing 'she isn’t the same' when I know why, it’s no fun accepting the fact you need surgery AGAIN.
"I’m grateful that for 16 years I PLAYED A GAME for a living & DESPITE all the injuries, I hooped," she continued. "I’m grateful for family, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers & fans who made this journey so special."
Fans weren’t the only ones shocked by Parker’s surprise retirement. In a reaction captured on video, Liberty forward Breanna Stewart responded to the news with a jaw-dropped, eyebrow-raised "What? Wow."
Yet while the Naperville, Illinois native’s time on the court might be over, Parker says she isn't leaving the world of basketball anytime soon.
"This is the beginning," she wrote. "I’m attacking business, private equity, ownership (I will own both a NBA & WNBA team), broadcasting, production, boardrooms, beach volleyball, dominoes (sorry babe it’s going to get more real) with the same intensity & focus I did basketball."
A tennis player once again topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, with Iga Swiatek taking over the top spot.
She becomes just the fourth athlete to top the list after Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova. Both Williams and Osaka had maintained a hold on the list in recent years, with Osaka taking the top spot in 2022. But Williams has retired and Osaka sat out the 2023 season to have her first child, leaving the top spot for Swiatek.
The 22-year-old Polish tennis player brought in an estimated $23.9 million in 2023, which included $9.9 million in on-court earnings after winning the women’s singles title at the French Open. She also added four new endorsement deals.
Twelve of the 20 highest-paid women athletes play tennis, as well as nine of the top 10. Eileen Gu, who came in second on the list, is the only non-tennis player to feature inside the top 10. She made $22.1 million in 2023, with the majority of her earnings coming from endorsements.
Coco Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open, placed third on the list with an estimated $21.7 million in earnings.
Even despite her break, Osaka still sits at fifth on the list having brought in $15 million in endorsements. She’s set to make her return to competitive tennis in the new year, which will include an appearance at the Australian Open.
Combined, the top 20 earners made roughly $226 million in 2023. It’s a drop from the $258 million made in 2022, but the retirement of Williams, who made $41.3 million last year, played a large part in the decrease. Still, the median for the top 20 earners increased from last year to $8.5 million (up from $7.3 million), and eight athletes surpassed $10 million. That number matches last year’s total – which set a record – and is double the number from 2021.
Other athletes inside the top 20 include golfer Nelly Korda, U.S. women’s national soccer players Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, gymnast Simone Biles and WNBA star Candace Parker.
WNBA legend Candace Parker plans to return to the court next season if she is healthy.
Parker fractured her foot during the Las Vegas Aces’ second-consecutive WNBA Finals-winning season in 2023. She underwent surgery in July after “playing on the fracture all season” and has not played in a game since.
The 37-year-old forward was interviewed by TMZ Sports on Dec. 7 and echoed statements that she made on Good Morning America in November.
“If I’m healthy, I wanna play,” Parker said to TMZ Sports.
Parker started 18 games with the Aces after singing with them as a free agent in 2023, adding chemistry to their offense as the season went along. Parker hasn’t provided a timeline for how much longer she hopes to play basketball professionally, or if she wishes to play at all. But Parker has nothing left to prove, and she seems to know this. With a 16-year career under her belt and three WNBA Championships to her name, Parker’s return hinges mostly on her comfort and desire to spend time with her family.
“If I’m healthy I’m going to play, but I’m not gonna play in pain anymore,” Parker told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America in November. “It’s too important — the trick-or-treating, the crossing over my kids — it’s too important.”
Parker provided no update on the condition of her foot, but in the video interview by TMZ Sports, she was seen walking without a boot and without any assistance.
While WNBA fans would surely like to see a farewell tour for Parker, she hopes that people focus on the future of the game.
“The game of basketball is in amazing hands, regardless,” Parker said. “If you see NCAA women, if you see the WNBA, the level that these young ladies are taking the game to is exciting and I’m just happy that now we have the visibility and the platform to do it.”
Candace Parker wants to play another WNBA season, but only if she is fully healthy, she told Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America.”
The two-time WNBA MVP missed the second half of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery to repair a foot fracture in July. Before the surgery, the 37-year-old started in the first 18 games of the season for the Las Vegas Aces, averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
“I’m coming off a foot surgery. If I’m healthy, I’m going to play. But I’m not going to play in pain anymore,” she said Thursday.
She shared the same sentiment in an interview with the Associated Press, noting that she played on her injured foot throughout the first half of the 2023 season. She is still rehabbing the injury, and she has other priorities: “I want to be able to go out to the beach. I love playing beach volleyball. I don’t know if one more season is worth risking that.”
Parker enters the offseason as a free agent. She signed a one-year deal with the Aces ahead of the 2023 season.
“If I’m healthy, I’m going to play, but the game of basketball is in amazing hands regardless,” she told Roberts.
Parker saw the future of the game up close as a member of the Aces. While she had to watch from the sidelines as the Las Vegas Aces won the championship, she spent the season working alongside head coach Becky Hammon, who won her second title in as many years, and A’ja Wilson, who took home the Finals MVP award.
“I realized why they’re a first-class organization: Becky Hammon, the way she brings everybody together; A’ja, I was extremely proud of the leader she’s been all season; Chelsea Gray; Kelsey Plum — go down the line,” Parker said. “I just was really happy to be a part of that.
“And it’s extremely humbling to do it from the sideline, from a different vantage point, but it was so special to see the adversity that the team was able to overcome.”
Parker is preparing for the debut of her documentary, “Candace Parker: Unapologetic,” which will premiere at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN.
There is a lot of mutual respect between Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston.
Speaking at the 2023 espnW Women and Sports Summit, Parker noted that her mother and her daughter are “big Aliyah Boston fans.” And it’s the way that Boston has carried herself throughout her college career and into the WNBA that has made Parker a big fan as well.
“I think the biggest thing for me is to see young women athletes taking advantage of the platform that they have and doing it in the way that Aliyah does it,” Parker said. “The way that she carries herself, the family that she comes from, she’s a beast. I’ve guarded her, that’s how I know my time is coming. She’s a beast in the paint, but she steps outside the lines and she’s about family, she’s about uplifting others.”
It’s no secret that Boston is a huge fan of Parker. Boston shouted out the two-time WNBA MVP after winning the national championship at South Carolina in 2022, grabbing the mic from Holly Rowe to tell Parker hello in a moment that later went viral.
“Candace Parker, I’d like to say hi,” she said to the three-time WNBA champion, who was sitting courtside at the national title game. “I love you girl.”
This moment between @aa_boston and @Candace_Parker ❤️ pic.twitter.com/EBV7hOZxDL
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 4, 2022
And as good as Boston is on the court, Parker also knows that how you handle yourself off it is just as important. And it’s one area in which Boston has excelled, as the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year has never made excuses for herself.
That’s one of the reasons why Boston is such a great role model for young girls, including Parker’s daughter, Parker said.
“I think the biggest thing, you handle yourself in success as you handle yourself in failure,” she said. “My biggest thing is, everything is great when you’re winning championships. But what happens when you’re not? And what happens when people say things about you on social media? Or you don’t win the championship and you come to make excuses?
“She never has done that. And I think that’s the respect that I have for her. And she’s inspiring that next young girl that wants to be herself and wants to be like Aliyah Boston.”
This moment between CP and Aliyah at the @espnW Sports Summit was so beautiful. @aa_boston @Candace_Parker pic.twitter.com/NTolqIXFrR
— Jas (@JasTayler) October 24, 2023