Candace Parker is officially retiring from the WNBA.
After playing in the league for 16 seasons, Parker went on Instagram to make the heartfelt announcement. “I promised I’d never cheat the game and that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” she wrote in her caption.
Parker continued, “The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time. My heart and body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.” She added, “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.”
According to reports, Parker suffered a foot injury last year that required her to have surgery. She also shared that her pain wasn’t easing up and that she’s been playing on a foot that wasn’t cooperating with her. “It’s not 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 that fact you need surgery AGAIN,” she revealed.
In her post, Parker also hinted at what her plans after retirement. “In the meantime, know I’m 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 and focus I did basketball.”
She ended her post with, “No matter how you prepare for it, you won’t be ready for the gap it leaves in your soul. Forgive me as I mourn a bit, but I’ll be back loving the game differently in a while.”