Former teammates of WNBA legend Candace Parker paid tribute before her second jersey retirement by the Sky.

Chicago Sky franchise legend and WNBA Champion Candace Parker speaks during a press conference before a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena.
Earlier this WNBA season, former star Candace Parker had her jersey retired by the Los Angeles Sparks, the team she was drafted by and played the first 13 season of her career with. On Monday night, Candace Parker had her second jersey retirement, this time by the Chicago Sky.

A Chicago native, Candace Parker’s second jersey retirement is well-deserved as she helped bring the only championship in franchise history to the Sky in 2021. Prior to the official ceremony, several of Parker’s former teammates from the Las Vegas Aces, whom she played with in 2023, paid tribute to her via recorded messages before the game.

Dana Evans, who played with Parker in Chicago and was a rookie during the 2021 title run, reflected on Parker’s leadership with the Sky.

“As a teammate, Candace was always just a great leader. She pushed us and made sure we were always ready to play,” Evans said. “As a person off the court, I always called her ‘Mama Candace’ because she acts like everyone’s mom. And she’s just so loving and caring.”

In addition to the pregame messages, both Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young showed up wearing Parker’s old high school jersey from Naperville.

Parker ended up playing two seasons with the Sky after signing as a free agent ahead of the 2021 season. She was named an All-Star in both of those seasons. During her second season with the Sky, Parker was selected the All-WNBA First Team.

She announced her retirement following an injury-plagued final season in 2023 with the Aces. Although she was unable to play in the playoffs, Parker was still a member of that Aces championship team, giving her three WNBA titles with three different teams.

In 16 seasons, Parker holds career averages of 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 assists with splits of 47.9 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

In 2008, Parker became the only player in WNBA history to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season. She also won MVP in 2013, and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.