WNBA legend Candace Parker on Sunday announced she is retiring.
“I’m retiring,” Parker said on Instagram. “I promised I’d never cheat the game & 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 & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.”
“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating,” Parker continued, according to ESPN. “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.”
Last season, Parker played 18 games with the Las Vegas Aces before having foot surgery, according to The Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Parker appeared in her final game on July 7 after she was sidelined due to another foot injury, according to ESPN.
Parker was the first player in the history of the WNBA to be named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season, according to The Associated Press.
She also became the first player in the WNBA to win a championship with three different teams, the AP reported.
Parker won two NCAA titles when she was with Tennessee back in 2007 and 2008, ESPN reported. The No. 1 overall pick in 2008 for the WNBA draft, she went on to win championships with the Los Angeles Sparks, the Chicago Sky and the Las Vegas Aces. She is also a two-time league MVP for 2008 and 2013.
She is a seven-time WNBA All-Star and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. Parker was an Olympian twice, in 2008 and 2012, ESPN reported.