WNBA Free Agency: Candace Parker leaving L.A. Sparks for Chicago

After a long and successful run with the L.A. Sparks, Candace Parker is heading back home to Chicago to continue her career.

WNBA free agency is starting to ramp up, and some notable names are changing addresses. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and others, unrestricted free agent and two-time league MVP Candace Parker has committed to play for the Chicago Sky. Free-agent deals can be signed and made official starting next Monday, so the exact terms will probably come then.

Parker was drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008, out of the University of Tennessee. She has spent her entire 13-year with the Sparks, with a Rookie of the Year, the aforementioned two MVPs (2008 and 2013), five All-Star selections and one championship (2016, when she was also Finals MVP) on her resume. She is the only player in WNBA history to win Rookie of the Year and league MVP.

In 2020, Parker finished third in MVP voting and won Defensive Player of the Year. For her career, she is averaging 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

Candace Parker is heading back home

With her decision to sign with the Sky, it will be a homecoming for Parker. She was a two-time USA Today National Player of the Year (2003 and 2004) at Naperville Central (IL) High School, as part of a uniquely decorated high school career. As Shelburne stated, the opportunity to return to Chicago and play the latter portion of her career in front of friends and family was too appealing to pass up for the 34-year old Parker.

Chicago has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons under coach James Wade. An All-Star backcourt trio of Courtney Vandersloot, Diamond DeShields and Allie Quigley, along with former top-10 pick Azura Stevens, will now become a formidable starting five as Parker brings her skill and experience to what looks to be a deep Sky roster.