WNBA icon Candace Parker announced that she will be retiring on April 28. The two-time WNBA Finals MVP broke the news in a heartfelt Instagram post on Sunday.
Parker’s Instagram post featured an image of her as a young child holding a Black and orange basketball. She 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.”
She continued to explain why she felt this was a good place to end her journey. “I always wanted to walk off the court with no parade or tour, just privately with the ones I love. What now was to be my last game, I walked off the court with my daughter. I ended the journey just as I started it, with her,” She said.
“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating. 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.”
Parker acknowledged her long-standing love of the game, starting from when she was just 13 in the Instagram post. She penned, “I fell in love with a little orange ball at 13 years old, and BECAUSE of it, my world goes round. The highs are unmatched & the lows taught me lessons. On & off the court, I’m proud I’ve always been true & stayed true to ME, even when it wasn’t popular.”
She ended her message by thanking everyone who supported her in doing what she loved for 16 years.
Parker finished, “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.”
Parker had an extremely impressive career in the WNBA after being picked as Number 1 overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft.
Parker is a seven-time All-Star and three championship winner under three different teams that played for.
She was named the WNBA Finals MVP twice, in 2009 and 2013. She is also the only player in the WNBA league to be awarded both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
Parker made it clear to her fans that she’s not done making history though. The NBA TV and TNT analyst promised that she would keep engaging with the game she loves off the court.
