WNBA news: Chicago Sky to retire Candace Parker's No. 3 jersey
Share this @internewscast.com

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Sky plan to retire Candace Parker’s No. 3 jersey later this year.

The WNBA team made the announcement Wednesday.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

A jersey retirement ceremony will be held during the Sky’s game against the Las Vegas Aces on August 25 at Wintrust Arena.

“Growing up in Naperville and playing on the courts with my brothers, while following Chicago teams like the Bulls, who were known for their winning spirit, I never dreamed that one day my jersey would be displayed by my hometown team,” Parker stated. “Returning to Chicago and helping to secure the city’s first WNBA championship was deeply meaningful. I am immensely thankful to the city, the supporters, and everyone who has been a part of my journey. Chicago shaped me, and it will forever be my home.”

The legendary women’s basketball player announced her retirement from the WNBA last year, bringing to a close the career of one of the sport’s top players and a major figure in the game for nearly 20 years.

Parker is among the most accomplished athletes in basketball, having won NCAA championships with Tennessee in 2007 and 2008 before being picked first in the 2008 WNBA draft. She secured titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016 (earning Finals MVP), with her Chicago hometown team, the Sky, in 2021, and with the Aces in 2023, making history as the first player to win championships with three different teams.

She was also a two-time league MVP (2008, 2013), a 10-time All-WNBA selection, a seven-time WNBA All-Star, a Defensive Player of the Year (2020) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008, 2012).

Parker played 13 of her 16 WNBA seasons with the Sparks before the player out of Naperville, Illinois, signed with Chicago ahead of the 2021 season — a seismic move at the time in a league that had generally experienced little free agency movement. After two seasons with the Sky, Parker signed with the Aces.

Parker might have been one of the best scorers in league history — her five seasons averaging more than 20 points per game are tied for second all time — but her versatility as a forward with guard skills was the true trademark of her game.

She finished her WNBA career with 6,574 points (16.0 per game), 3,467 rebounds (8.5 per game), 1,634 assists (4.0 per game) and 619 blocks (1.5 per game) in 410 regular-season games — the only player in league history to rank top 10 in all of those categories.

Earlier in her career, Parker became the first WNBA player with multiple career triple-doubles and the first to dunk multiple times in the regular season.

Her fame began in high school, where she was the first girl to win the McDonald’s High School All American Dunk Contest. Her commitment to Tennessee was the first on ESPNews by a women’s player. After redshirting her freshman season because of a knee injury, Parker was a two-time Wooden Award winner and propelled the Lady Volunteers to back-to-back national titles — the program’s final championships under the late Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt.

For decades, Parker’s popularity has transcended beyond the court, from signing endorsements with Adidas and Gatorade fresh out of college, to producing a documentary on Title IX, to joining the ownership group for the NWSL’s Angel City FC, to becoming a well-respected NBA analyst for TNT and NBA TV.

ESPN contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Accused killer Vance Boelter hints at motive in Post jailhouse interview

Vance Boelter, accused of murder, suggests motive during jail interview with the Post

The man charged with the politically motivated murder of a Minnesota lawmaker…
South River, New Jersey police officers save 1-year-old choking child, body camera video shows

Heroic South River Police Officers Rescue Choking Toddler in Heart-Pounding Bodycam Footage

SOUTH RIVER, N.J. — Police officers in New Jersey jumped into action…
Livvy Dunne was her own celebrity look-alike at Twins-Pirates game

Livvy Dunne Stuns as Her Own Doppelgänger at Twins-Pirates Match

Livvy Dunne was in Minnesota to watch Paul Skenes and ended up…
Chicago crime: Lontray Clark charged with murder, arson after 4 killed in West Side apartment fire on North Avenue, police say

Chicago Crime: Lontray Clark Faces Murder and Arson Charges in Fatal West Side Apartment Fire on North Avenue

CHICAGO (WLS) — A suspect is facing multiple charges after four people…
Portrait of Samantha Lewthwaite wearing a black hijab.

Fugitive ‘White Widow’ Samantha Lewthwaite Reportedly Continues to Support Terror Financing Efforts

The infamous ‘White Widow,’ a British terrorist connected to 400 deaths and…
Supreme Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson triggered by 'state of our democracy'

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Expresses Concern About the ‘State of Our Democracy’

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, known for sparking debate, is facing…
Kendra G, Raven Smith join Windy City Weekend; Val and Ryan talk Bud Billiken Parade, Windy City Smokeout, new movies

Kendra G and Raven Smith Team Up on ‘Windy City Weekend’; Val and Ryan Discuss Bud Billiken Parade, Windy City Smokeout, and Upcoming Movies.

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Friday morning, Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini invited…
Boeing settles with a man whose family died in a 737 Max crash in Ethiopia

Boeing Reaches Settlement with Man After 737 Max Crash Claims His Family in Ethiopia

Boeing reached an agreement on Friday with a Canadian man whose wife…
Smiling fugitive recaptured and returned to Kentucky after dramatic airport escape

Grinning Escapee Captured and Brought Back to Kentucky After Thrilling Airport Getaway

A fugitive who fled custody at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in May seemed…
Trump touring Texas flood damage Friday

Trump to Visit Texas to Assess Flood Damage on Friday

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — On Friday, President Donald Trump visited Texas to…
Debris from a plane crash site with rescue workers.

Crash Investigators Attribute Fatal Error by Air India Pilots for Disaster, Killing 260 After Takeoff

PILOT error is suspected in the Air India crash which killed 260…
LA Mayor Karen Bass signs order to provide cash payments to immigrants affected by ICE raids

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Implements Order for Cash Assistance to Immigrants Impacted by ICE Raids

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has enacted an executive order aimed at…