Candace Parker has No. 3 jersey retired by Los Angeles Sparks in halftime ceremony
Parker, 39, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Sparks out of Tennessee and earned the league's rookie of the year and MVP awards in her first season. She played 13 seasons with the team, averaging 16.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. During her career in Los Angeles, Parker won two MVP awards and the 2016 WNBA championship.
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"In 2008, when the lottery was between Chicago and LA, a kid from the Chicagoland, Midwest, I was a little partial. I wanted the balls to fall in LA's court," Parker said Sunday.
"I wanted to be out west. I wanted to be here where all the eyeballs, all the lights, where there's ginormous shoes to fill. But when I landed here, [coach] Michael Cooper, he said to me ... 'If you win here, you're a champion forever.' So there's one thing on my mind, and we got that. We got that championship."
In addition to her title with the Sparks, Parker also won championships with the Sky and Las Vegas Aces. She is the only WNBA player to win titles with three different teams.
Parker's No. 3 is the third number retired by the Sparks in franchise history, joining Lisa Leslie's No. 9 and Penny Toler's No. 11.
'Candace Parker has left an indelible mark on the Los Angeles Sparks, not only as one of the greatest players to ever grace the court, but as a true ambassador of our franchise and women's basketball as a whole," team co-owner Earvin "Magic" Johnson said in a statement.
'Her legacy is immeasurable — she redefined excellence, was a champion on the court and for the Los Angeles community and inspired countless fans and future generations of athletes," he added. "Very few champions get to see their jersey hanging from the rafters in this city. Retiring Candace's No. 3 jersey is not just a celebration of her extraordinary career, but a tribute to the enduring mark she's left on this organization, the WNBA, and the city of Los Angeles. She will forever be a part of the Sparks family."
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The Sky will also retire Parker's No. 3 jersey on Aug. 25 when they host the Aces. She is a Chicago-area native, winning two state championships at Naperville Central High School.
Parker officially announced her retirement in April 2024, ending a 16-year professional career that included three WNBA championships, two MVP awards, and seven All-Star teams. She averaged 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, four assists and 1.3 steals per game.
In 2002, she became the first WNBA player to compile 6,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists in a career.
Parker also won two gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics for Team USA. Overseas, she won five Russian League championships with BC UMMC Ekaterinburg during WNBA offseasons.
At Tennessee, Parker won two national championships in 2007 and 2008 under iconic coach Pat Summitt. During her three seasons in Knoxville, she was twice named the Final Four most outstanding player, won National Player of the Year honors twice and was a two-time first-team All-American.
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Associated Press
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