WNBA Icon Candace Parker Playing Her Cards For Las Vegas Aces In 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 08:32PM By Barry Janoff
Photo: Turner SportsJanuary 28, 2023: Saying that she needs to be closer to home “for my daughter, for my son, for my wife,” Candace Parker, two-time WNBA champion (2016, 2021) and league MVP (2008, 2013), posted to social media today that she would play for the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in 2023.
Parker, who was raised in the Chicago area but has lived in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, played for the Los Angeles Sparks from 2008-2020 and the Chicago Sky 2021-2022.
She also is an analyst for the NBA on TNT and NBA TV, as well as for NCAA Div. I March Madness games.
She became a free agent following the 2022 season.
“My family is my reason and my purpose,” she wrote. “They have given me the greatest joys I’ve ever experienced and continue to show me new levels of love and devotion I never knew existed.
When I made the decision to go to Chicago in 2021, I made the decision to go home and be with my family in the place where it all began. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to win a championship in my hometown and parade down the same streets I watched the Bulls parade down as a young girl first falling in love with the game of basketball.
“As I’ve gone through free agency this time around, of course I’m thinking of where I can compete for my third championship, but the words home and family are what I kept coming back to. No different than when I signed with Chicago.
“After evaluating the landscape together with my family, we’ve decided the Las Vegas Aces are the right organization for us at this point in our lives.”
In Vegas, she joins WNBA Coach of the Year Becky Hammon, 2022 Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, 2022 All-Star MVP Kelsey Plum and 2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled for Las Vegas in July.
Parker is a seven-time All-Star.
In 2016, she was named to the WNBA’s 20th Anniversary Team. In 2021, she was named as one of the 25 best players in league history as part of the league’s 25th Anniversary celebration.
“Throughout her 13 years, Lailaa has always sacrificed for me; always put me first; and always supported me in what I wanted or needed to do, even when it was tough on her,” wrote Parker.
“I need to be there for my daughter, for my son, for my wife. I can’t be without them for parts of the season when Lailaa is in school and I won’t miss her volleyball games or school dances simply because of distance. Lailaa starts high school in August and I need to be there for her, just as she’s been there for me.”
With the USA Basketball Women’s Team, she won Olympic gold medals the 2008 Beijing Summer Games and the 2021 London Summer Games.
Prior to joining the WNBA in 2008 as the overall No. 1 pick, she won two NCAA titles with Tennessee.
She was named as the AP Female Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2021.
“I’m forever appreciative of everyone in Chicago — our fans, teammates, coaches, and ownership,” wrote Parker.
“But more than the past two seasons, I’m thankful to the city that raised me, the childhood friends I still have to this day, the teachers I still am learning from, and the moments in time that will forever be in my heart.
“While Chicago will always be my home, my family’s home is on the west coast.
To play for a championship close to home is the perfect situation for us. I’m looking forward to continuing the journey this summer in Las Vegas.”
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