In one of the biggest free-agency moves in the history of the WNBA, the Chicago Sky has signed two-time WNBA MVP forward Candace Parker, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
“It’s indescribable to put into words what this moment means to our organization and to the city of Chicago.” Sky General Manager and Head Coach James Wade said. “It’s an incredible story of a homecoming between a team striving to become a championship organization and one of the best players in basketball. Candace is someone who has meant so much to the game – and not just in L.A. or Chicago – her stature is truly unmatched. It says a lot about the strides we’ve made in the right direction and we believe Candace is the one who is going to take us to that next level.”
With one of the most storied careers in WNBA history, the Naperville, Illinois native returns to her hometown after playing all of her 13 seasons in Los Angeles. Selected by the Sparks as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 WNBA Draft, Parker is the franchise leader in scoring (5,684 points), blocks (545), and rebounds (2,902). Last season, Parker averaged 14.7 points, a WNBA-leading 9.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
“Chicago is where my family raised me; where I first learned the game of basketball; and where I first fell in love with this orange ball,” Parker said. “I am excited to continue the next chapter of my career where it all began. To my new teammates, my new organization, and my new fans: I’m home.”
The 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Parker (6-4”, 175) has competed in 337 regular season games (332 starts) across 13 WNBA seasons, registering career averages of 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.
A two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player (2008, 2013), Parker has made five WNBA All-Star appearances (2011, 2013-14, 2017-18) and was 2013’s WNBA All-Star Game MVP. A two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008, 2012), Parker has been named to the All-WNBA First Team on five occasions (2008, 2012–14, 2017, 2020), the All-WNBA Second Team (2009, 2015, 2018) three times, and has received WNBA All-Defensive Second Team honors twice (2009, 2012). In 2016 Parker was voted WNBA Finals MVP for leading Los Angeles to the team’s first WNBA Championship (2016) in 14 years. She is also the only player in WNBA history to be named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team and the All-WNBA First Team in the same year (2008).
via: Sky PR
