Few athletes have shaped their sport quite like Candace Parker. Sky coach -Tyler Marsh called her a “basketball savant.” Aces coach Becky Hammon — a league legend and Parker’s former coach — said she changed the game, showing that versatility was an advantage, not a flaw. Now, the position she defined — the point forward — drives the modern WNBA.
On Monday night, the Sky honored Parker by raising her No. 3 to the rafters. After 13 seasons with the Sparks, she came home to Chicago and delivered the Sky’s lone championship in 2021. The ceremony came during a 79-74 loss to the red-hot Aces, but the night belonged to Parker, whose career defies quick summary.
Her résumé includes two of each: MVPs, Olympic golds and NCAA titles. She was also the first girl in Illinois to dunk in a high school game.
Some are still catching up to her legacy. Parker’s 3-year-old son recently discovered, with surprise, that his mom once played in the WNBA. Her wife was still pregnant with him when Parker helped bring the Sky their first title in franchise history — and the city’s first championship since the 2016 Cubs.
A new chapter
So what comes after a career like that?
“It’s really scary when you’re transitioning and putting the ball down,” Parker said.
But she hasn’t strayed far from the game, even in “retirement.” Now the president of Adidas Women’s Basketball and a lead broadcaster in the women’s game, she brings the same pragmatism to those roles that defined her career on the court.
Even reflecting on the 2021 title run, Parker stayed blunt.
“Everybody remembers the banner, but like, we were .500,” she said with a laugh, recalling the Sky’s 16-16 record that season. “We were bad. Let’s just be honest. It took some single-elimination games for us to win the championship.”
The playoff format has since shifted. The early rounds are now best-of-three rather than single elimination, and the Finals expanded this year to seven games from five.
Looking in the mirror
That willingness to self-reflect, even when it’s uncomfortable, sets Parker apart. She leaned into it in her recent book, “The Can-Do Mindset,” often turning the lens inward to examine her own mistakes and perspective.
So where did she learn the skill?
“I’ve had some amazing examples,” she said. “One of the best was Coach Pat Summitt. She was the most humble — look in the mirror, figure out what she could do better before pointing the finger.”
Another visionary, Summitt instilled in her that real leadership starts with asking what you can change yourself. It’s a lesson Parker carried throughout her career and now passes on in her roles off the court.
Remembering the Candace Era
For Sky fans, reflection on the Parker years shows that while the 2021 team hung the banner, the 2022 roster might have been the best. With Emma Meesseman added to a core of Parker, Kahleah Copper, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley, the Sky set a franchise record for wins before falling in the semifinals.
The slide started soon after. Parker left for the Aces, and then-coach James Wade departed midseason in 2023 for a job in the NBA. Two coaches later, the Sky’s rebuild still hasn’t taken off. Monday’s 79-74 loss to the Aces dropped them to 9-28, already out of the playoff picture.
Still, Parker’s influence lingers in the new era. Marsh credited her with guiding him through the decision to accept the Sky’s coaching job. If he becomes the coach the franchise hopes for, that too will trace back to Parker.
Though victories have been scarce, Marsh’s ability to harness Angel Reese’s playmaking may be a foundation to build on.