Candace Parker, an all-time great in WNBA history, isn’t done just yet.
Parker is finalizing a one-year deal to return to the Las Vegas Aces, her agent told The Athletic on Wednesday. It will mark her 17th season in the league.
The Aces confirmed Parker’s return later on Wednesday afternoon.
Parker, 37, won her third WNBA championship last fall when the Aces defeated the New York Liberty in four games. It made her the first player to win three titles with three different teams. Parker won the 2016 championship with the Los Angeles Sparks, who drafted her No. 1 overall in 2008, and the 2021 championship with the Chicago Sky, her hometown team who signed her in that free agency period.
She played in only 18 games with the Aces before undergoing surgery for a fracture in her foot she had been dealing with all year. The 6-4 forward was beginning to settle in nicely with the Aces to create a formidable starting five with Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson. All five are multi-time All-Star selections and All-WNBA players.
Her versatility and defense was the real strength — a constant focus for head coach Becky Hammon — and she ranks fourth all-time in defensive win shares (30.3). She could also take pressure off of Wilson with rebounding and her playmaking in transition was boosting an already great offense.
The two-time MVP said in November her recovery would determine if she chose to come back for a 17th season. In her “Unapologetic” documentary, she said she wanted to be healthy enough to walk around and play with her children.
“If I feel really, really good, then I’ll play,” she told The Associated Press. “That’s a big if. I’ve got to get my foot right. My foot was really bad last year. I don’t want to cheat the game or cheat myself.”
Parker averaged 16 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game over her career and is all over the WNBA record books. It common for outlets and teams to share game or stat notes with the caveat that a player was “the first since Candace Parker” to reach said feat.
She ranks in the top-25 in career games (401), field goals (2,471), assists (1,634) and steals (523). Her 3,467 rebounds rank third behind Sylvia Fowles (4,007), who retired last offseason, and Tina Charles (3,640). She ranks fifth in career blocks (619).
