Candace Parker is stepping away from the game of basketball.

Parker, 38, announced her decision to retire in an emotional instagram post on Sunday afternoon. Parker departs the WNBA after a historic 16-year career that included 2 WNBA MVP awards and 3 championships.

Here’s Parker’s announcement:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Candace Parker (@candaceparker)

Parker is widely regarded as one of the best women’s college basketball players of all time. She was named 1st-team all-WNBA 7 times and was also Finals MVP in 2016.

Of course, that doesn’t even included her myriad of accomplishments at the collegiate level. Parker led Tennessee to 2 national championships during her time in Knoxville. She was also a 3-time All-American and won the Wooden Award twice.

Tennessee acknowledged Parker’s accomplishments as a player shortly after her retirement announcement was made:

Parker’s announcement included a paragraph on what she’ll be focusing on moving forward. She said he wants to own a NBA and WNBA team. Parker has also been working as an analyst for TNT in recent seasons, and seemingly plans to continue that work. Here’s an excerpt from Parker’s announcement:

“In the mean time, know IM A BUSINESS, man, not a businessman. This is the beginning…I’m attacking business, private equity, ownership (I will own both a NBA & WNBA team), broadcasting, production, boardrooms, beach volleyball, dominoes (sorry babe it’s going to get more real) with the same intensity & focus I did basketball.”

Parker went out a champion, as she played for the Las Vegas Aces in 2023 and helped lead that franchise to its second consecutive title.

Women’s basketball is seemingly in a great place right as Parker calls it a career. Caitlin Clark has emerged as a household name and is expected to bring more attention to the league as she makes her WNBA debut next month. There are also other rookies slated to make a big impact on the game, including former LSU star Angel Reese and former Stanford standout Cameron Brink.

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