New York Liberty guard Breanna Stewart joined the growing list of players lauding Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker for a stellar career after she announced her retirement from the WNBA after 16 seasons.
When pressed on the development of Parker's decision to retire, Stewart was stunned, via WNBA insider Khristina Williams.
“What? Wow,” Stewart exclaimed. “Like, effective immediately? Wow.”
“Obviously, Candace [Parker] has had an amazing career,” Stewart added. “I think I'm a little bit sad about it, you love going up against her and the legend that she is.”
“But what she's done on and off the court has been amazing for our league and I really appreciate everything that she's done to kinda help me to get where I am,” Stewart continued. “That really shocked me, but we'll definitely miss her this season.”
Stewart joined Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese in commending Parker for an impressive body of work worthy of a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Candace Parker retires with impressive Hall of Fame resume
Parker was the number one overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2008 WNBA Draft and spent 13 seasons with the franchise, winning the championship in 2016. She made subsequent stops with the Chicago Sky from 2021-22 and spent the 2023 season with the Aces, collecting two more titles in 2021 and 2023.
Among her individual accolades include two WNBA Most Valuable Player trophies in 2008 and 2013. She also won the Finals MVP in 2016, Rookie of the Year in 2008 and the 2013 All-Star Game MVP alongside seven All-WNBA First Team selections.
On top of her professional achievements, Parker won two NCAA championships with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in 2007 and 2008 and was named Most Outstanding Player in both years. In addition, Parker represented the United States in gold medal winning campaigns in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games.
Candace Parker eyes ownership of NBA, WNBA franchises in post-retirement plans
In an emotional Instagram post, Parker outlined her reasoning for retiring.
“I promised I'd never cheat the game [and] that I'd leave it in a better place than I came into it,” the post read. “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.”
“I always wanted to walk off the court with no parade or tour, just privately with the ones I love. What now was to be my last game, I walked off the court with my daughter. I ended the journey just as I started it, with her.”
Parker also signaled intentions to take ownership stakes in NBA and WNBA teams as part of her post-retirement plans “with the same intensity and focus” as she did during her playing career.
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