Chicago Sky star (and Turner Sports commentator/documentarian) Candace Parker is taking her talents to a new WNBA team. Parker joined the Sky on a two-year deal as a free agent in 2021, and won her second WNBA championship (her first came in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks) that year. But that deal meant she hit free agency this year, and she announced on Instagram Saturday that she’s joining the Las Vegas Aces:
View this post on Instagram
The key part of that post:
I need to be there for my daughter, for my son, for my wife. I can’t be without them for parts of the season when Lailaa is in school and I won’t miss her volleyball games or school dances simply because of distance. Lailaa starts high school in August and I need to be there for her, just as she’s been there for me.
After evaluating the landscape together with my family, we’ve decided the Las Vegas Aces are the right organization for us at this point in our lives.
The honesty there from Parker (seen above with the Sky last August) is appreciated, and it should be recognized how big of a factor playing near family can be. This isn’t necessarily a slam at all at the Sky (and Parker is quite complimentary of them in the overall post), but rather a reflection that this is what’s best for her overall life at this point. And on the court, she should be a further boost to an Aces team (led by general manager Natalie Williams and head coach Becky Hammon) that won their first WNBA title last year. We’ll see how this move works out for both sides.
[Candace Parker on Instagram; photo from Wendell Cruz/USA Today Sports]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.