Candace Parker announces retirement after 16 seasons, three WNBA championships
Candace Parker during Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals between the Sky and the the Phoenix Mercury.
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker is retiring after 16 seasons, she announced on social media.
"I promised I'd never cheat the game," Parker wrote on Instagram. "And that I'd leave it in a better place than I came into it."
Parker — who was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the No. 1 pick in 2008 — certainly has.
Parker's 16 seasons are littered with highlights and record-breaking moments, starting with her rookie season. She is the only player in the WNBA's history to be named rookie of the year and MVP in the same season.
Her accolades include seven All-Star nods, two MVP awards and three WNBA titles. In 2021, Parker added to her legacy when she signed with her hometown franchise, the Sky, and led them to their first and only WNBA title.
She finishes her career ranked ninth in career points, third in career rebounds, second in career defensive rebounds, seventh in career assists, fifth in career blocks and fourth in career double-doubles.
Parker is the only player in WNBA history to win three titles with three different franchises.