Dawn Staley speaks on Candace Parker’s retirement: ‘The game lost a great one’
”The game lost a great one,” Staley told The Inquirer. “Obviously we want to see all of our legends play forever, but time says otherwise."
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WNBA legend Candace Parker officially announced her retirement Sunday on social media.
“I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” Parker wrote on Instagram. “The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time. My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it.”
Parker played 16 seasons in the WNBA, 13 for the Los Angeles Sparks, two for the Chicago Sky, and one for the Las Vegas Aces, winning three WNBA titles, two WNBA MVP awards, and a multitude of other accolades. Currently, Parker is an NBA and NCAA analyst with TNT.
Dawn Staley never coached Parker herself, but the legendary South Carolina coach shared her appreciation for Parker and her long career after Sunday’s Sixers game.
”The game lost a great one,” Staley told The Inquirer. “Obviously we want to see all of our legends play forever, but time says otherwise. I was looking forward to seeing her play one more season with A’ja Wilson and Las Vegas, but we see enough of Candace. Her legacy will continue. She’s on television, she makes us proud by covering the NBA and everything in between. She closes a chapter in her basketball career, but more opportunity will open up for her, and for us as women’s basketball people.”