Candace Parker

More than two decades ago, Candace Parker’s many friends and fans at Naperville Central High School knew they were witnessing something special.  

As a high school junior, she headlined a 32-0 Redhawks basketball team that captured a state championship. The next year she bounced back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament as Naperville Central repeated and she became a two-time national high school player of the year.  

And there was so much more to come: 

• A stellar college career and NCAA championships at Tennessee.
• An Olympic gold medal.  
• A professional career that included Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in her first season on the way to three WNBA titles, including one in Chicago. 
• Numerous national awards and honors.  

 But now it’s time to step away. 

“I’m retiring,” Parker wrote to her 1 million Instagram followers in an April 28 post. “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 one more, but it’s time. My heart and body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.” 

Parker continues to recover from last year’s foot fracture and subsequent surgery.  

Since her high school days, she’s always had the ability to come back from serious injuries. 

But not this time. 

“This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating,” Parker wrote. “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.” 

One of the most visible figures in women’s basketball — she was on the cover of the 2021 NBA 2K video game — Parker is routinely ranked among the top female players of all time. 

“Parker’s impact upon entering the (WNBA) was immediate,” according to a 2021 ranking by ESPN. “She’s the only player in WNBA history to sweep MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. She can play any position on the floor, and defines beautiful basketball, with the ability to slash to the basket, dominate at the rim or step back and hit from distance.” 

Parker, who turned 38 in April, won WNBA titles in Los Angeles (2016) and Las Vegas (2023), but the most memorable for local fans was the 2012 championship with her hometown Chicago Sky. 

“I made the decision to go home and be with my family in the place where it all began,” Parker wrote on Instagram. “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. 

“I’m grateful that for 16 years I played a game for a living and despite all the injuries, I hooped,” she wrote. “I’m grateful for family, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers and fans who made this journey so special. 

So, what’s next? 

She’ll have more time to spend with her family, including her 14-year-old daughter, Lailaa, from her marriage to former NBA player Sheldon Williams. Parker and her wife, Anna Petrakova, a onetime teammate in Russia, have a young son (2-year-old Airr Larry Petrakov Parker), and another child on the way. 

“Being a wife and mom still remains priority No. 1,” Parker wrote. “I’ve learned that time flies, so I plan to enjoy my family to the fullest!” 

However, basketball won’t likely be very far away. She’s already received high marks for her work as a TNT commentator and analyst.  

“Forgive me as I mourn a bit, but I’ll be back loving the game differently in a while.” 

According to her Instagram post, Parker’s areas of interest include pursuing team ownership, broadcasting work and other areas “with the same intensity and focus I did basketball.” 

“My mission in life, like (the late Tennessee coach) Pat Summitt always said, is to ‘chase people and passions and you will never fail.’”