LOS ANGELES -- On halftime of Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky, Candace Parker got the ultimate honor from the team that drafted her in 2008: she got her jersey retired by the franchise.
“What a great day for the organization. I’m humbled and honored to be a part of it,” current Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said before Sunday’s game. “I've always been a huge fan; who isn’t? There's been some incredible, legendary players in our league and on the Sparks… Hall of Famers, and Candace is right there. Only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year, that's crazy, and [she won a] championship here. I've just always been such a huge fan, and I hope our players [will] take from this is the legacy that is being a Spark. There are some incredible women that have put on that jersey, and it's our job to carry that torch forward and to get this franchise back where it belongs. CP is a great reminder about the greatness that was her and the greatness the Sparks were. That's what I hope our team can take that in while still focusing on what we're trying to do.”
Fellow Sparks great Lisa Leslie spoke glowingly about Parker during the halftime ceremony.
“When I tell you when this rookie stepped on the floor, she started getting rebounds over the top of my head,” Leslie said. “She went from playing the 4 position to the 1 position. She changed the game with her ballhandling skills, her ability to shoot the three, her ability to drive to the basket, block shots, defense, and we played together like nobody else could.
“We both, as mothers, we cried because we didn’t get it done together,” Leslie continued. “We tried as hard as we could. It was time for me to say goodbye. But I knew when I handed the keys over to Candace Parker that the L.A. Sparks were in good hands."
And the Sparks were in good hands, indeed.
Parker has had many accolades in her WNBA career. She is the only player in WNBA history to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. She would win a second MVP award in 2013. She was a seven-time all-star, getting that honor five times as a Los Angeles Spark. She led the league in rebounding three times, blocked shots twice, and even in assists one time. She is in the Top 10 all-time in scoring (10th), rebounds (3rd), assists (8th), and blocks (5th) while also being in the Top 20 in steals (17th). For the Sparks franchise, she is third in scoring, second in rebounds, first in assists, second in blocks, and third in steals. And she helped bring a championship to L.A. in 2016, winning Finals MVP in the process.
“When I landed here, (then-Sparks coach) Michael Cooper said to me, ‘If you win here, you're a champion forever,’” Parker recalled. “So there was one thing on my mind and we got that. We got that championship.”
She would also go on to win Defensive Player of the Year during the Wubble in 2020. And she would be All-WNBA a total of 10 times (first team seven times and then second team three times), nine with the Sparks. Parker would win two more rings late in her career (2021 with the Sky and 2023 with the Aces). It’s fitting that she retired from the league on top.
“I’m extremely humbled to have #3 up there amongst the greats,” Parker said. “I do not take that for granted at all.”
It’s evident Parker inspired a lot of the current players today.
“Candace… she’s always been a mentor for me in that way,” Sparks forward Dearica Hamby said after Sunday’s game. “She made being a mom cool, and that it was possible to do both… I got drafted after not expecting to really play basketball after college and... (when) having your first kid, you don't really know what to expect [or] if you can continue to play. She's always inspiring me in that way. I'm grateful for her and our friendship.”
“For me, (Parker) made it cool, not just to be a parent, but also to be a post player and be able to shoot the three, man, and bring the ball up, and not just be put in the box,” Sparks forward Emma Cannon added. “She allowed me to broaden my game, and I love that, and I appreciate her for that.”
Parker averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 13 seasons with the Sparks. Next for Parker should be the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
