Candace Parker will be enshrined at Wintrust Arena this summer.
The Chicago Sky will retire Parker’s No. 3 jersey on Aug. 25 before a game against the Las Vegas Aces. Parker, who grew up in Naperville, is the first former Sky player to have her jersey retired, an honor that reflects her stature in the history of Illinois women’s basketball as much as her impact on the franchise.
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Despite playing only two seasons for the Sky, Parker led the team to its greatest run of success: the 2021 WNBA championship and a franchise-best 26-10 regular season in 2022. Parker averaged 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 blocks over her two seasons in Chicago and was selected to the All-Star Game in both seasons and to the All-WNBA first team in 2022.
“Candace Parker is a legend, future Hall of Famer and synonymous with Illinois basketball,” Sky President/CEO Adam Fox said in a statement. “We’re thrilled she decided to come home to Chicago to help the Sky win a championship in 2021.
“Candace has left an indelible mark on women’s basketball at every level and has inspired countless players and fans through her outstanding leadership and basketball talent on and off the court. We are honored to retire her jersey and celebrate her incredible legacy as a Chicago Sky player.”
Parker won two Class AA state titles (2003, ’04) and three Ms. Basketball of Illinois awards (2002, ’03, ’04) at Naperville Central. In 2001 she threw down her first live-game dunk, believed to be the first documented dunk by a female player in the state.
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After winning two NCAA titles at Tennessee under coach Pat Summitt, Parker was drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2008 by the Los Angeles Sparks. She played her first 13 WNBA seasons in Los Angeles, winning a title in 2016 and two MVP awards (2008, ’13). The Sparks also will retire Parker’s jersey in a ceremony during a June 29 game against the Sky.
Parker signed with the Sky as a free agent in 2021 and they went on a surprising championship run that year after a .500 regular season. After the 2022 season she departed in free agency for the Las Vegas Aces, with whom she won a third title in 2023. Parker re-signed with the Aces for 2024 but announced her retirement shortly before the season after struggling to recover from a foot injury.
Although most of her professional career took place on the West Coast or abroad, Parker credited her ties to the Chicago area as a driving force throughout her 16-year WNBA tenure.
“Growing up in Naperville, playing on courts around here with my brothers and watching Chicago teams like the Bulls who became synonymous with winning, I never imagined one day my jersey would hang in the rafters of my hometown team,” Parker said in a statement.
“Coming home to Chicago and helping bring the city its first WNBA championship here — it was personal. I’m beyond grateful to the city, the fans and everyone who’s been part of my journey. Chicago raised me and this will always be home.”
