Candace Parker has always carried Chicago with her. Monday night, Chicago carried her back, raising her No. 3 jersey into the rafters at Wintrust Arena and giving one of the game’s most accomplished players a permanent place in the city’s sports history.
The Chicago Sky honored Parker at halftime of their matchup with the Las Vegas Aces, her last WNBA team. Family, friends, and former teammates filled the arena. Her high school coach Andy Nussbaum stood courtside, still in touch with Parker two decades after guiding her to two state titles at Naperville (Ill.) Central. Fellow Chicago natives Common and Jennifer Hudson joined the celebration, while Derrick Rose sent in a video tribute.
“My heart will always belong to the state of Illinois, the city of Naperville and the city of Chicago,” Parker told the crowd. “It’s not just where I’m from, it’s the core of who I am.”
A Championship That Changed the City
Parker only spent two seasons with the Sky, but the impact was seismic. She signed in 2021 after 13 years with the Los Angeles Sparks and immediately delivered Chicago’s first WNBA championship.
Her presence gave the Sky credibility, leadership, and resilience in a postseason run that remains the city’s lone professional sports championship since the Cubs’ 2016 World Series. Parker averaged 13.8 points and 2.1 steals that postseason, anchoring Chicago alongside Finals MVP Kahleah Copper.
“I grew up in the ’90s … eat at Portillo’s, eat at Giordano’s, go to Grant Park in June because the Bulls were going to win the championship,” Parker said. “To then be a part of bringing a championship to Chicago is surreal. To be from here to win a championship here, it’s nothing like it.”
Candace Parker gets a standing ovation in her hometown ahead of her jersey retirement with the @chicagosky pic.twitter.com/8WeNftGGtn
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 26, 2025
Copper, now with the Phoenix Mercury, made the cross-country trip just for the ceremony.
“I wouldn’t have missed this day for anything. For real, for real,” she said, leaving immediately afterward to rejoin her team for a Tuesday night game in Los Angeles.
Parker paid tribute to those bonds with her attire. The jeans she wore featured images of her 2021 Sky teammates — a reminder that her short stint in Chicago was built on connection as much as results.
From Naperville to the Hall of Fame
Parker’s path back home was decades in the making. At Naperville Central, she became the first player to have his or her number retired, leading the Redhawks to two state titles. Nussbaum, her coach then and a presence at her jersey retirement, said her leadership was as defining as her talent.
“I think Candace has always been, even though she’s had all kinds of individual accomplishments, she’s always been a team player,” Nussbaum said. “And that goes a long way to winning a championship.”
From there, Parker starred at Tennessee, winning two national championships under legendary coach Pat Summitt. Drafted No. 1 overall in 2008, she won both Rookie of the Year and MVP that season with the Sparks — the only player in league history to do so.
Congratulations Candace Parker on your jersey retirement with the @chicagosky 🙌
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 26, 2025
From 2021-2022 with the Sky, Parker became a Champion (2021), 2x All-Star, All-WNBA First Team Member (2022) and she holds franchise records in playoffs for most double-doubles, BLKS and REBS. pic.twitter.com/43GZCNBpkp
She spent 13 years in Los Angeles, claiming two MVPs, seven All-Star selections and her first WNBA title in 2016. Later, in 2023, she added a third ring with the Las Vegas Aces, joining close friend Chelsea Gray before injuries ultimately ended her playing career.
“She’s won on every team she played on,” Chicago center Elizabeth Williams said. “Candace is a legend in every sense of the word.”
Candace Parker Created a Lasting Legacy
The Sky’s tribute was filled with reminders that Parker’s legacy is broader than numbers. She retires with career averages of 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists. But beyond the stats, she changed what it meant to be a forward in the women’s game, blending perimeter skills with elite post play.
“Candace is a basketball savant,” Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said. “She’s a legend in this league, a legend in this city.”
Her influence continues in her roles off the court. She has become a fixture on TNT’s NBA broadcasts, bridging men’s and women’s basketball with equal authority. She also serves as president of women’s basketball for Adidas, shaping the future of the sport through one of its most visible global brands. Later this year, she’ll release her book, The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions.
But for Parker, the moment of seeing her No. 3 lifted into the rafters was about Chicago.
“The city is so special to me,” she said. “I wasn’t drafted here … but somehow I found my way back here, and to play here was an honor. To see the jersey go into the rafters, it means so much. It really does.”
Her number now joins Allie Quigley’s No. 14 as the only two retired by the Sky. Parker also has her No. 3 retired by the Sparks, making her just the second WNBA player honored by multiple teams.
For those who have followed her journey since Naperville, Monday night was a culmination.
“Candace Parker is a legend, future hall-of-famer, and synonymous with Illinois basketball,” Sky CEO and President Adam Fox said. “We are honored to retire her jersey and celebrate her incredible legacy as a Chicago Sky player.”
As the jersey rose, Parker glanced up with her family nearby, friends and former teammates cheering, and the arena full of fans who saw her not only as a champion, but as one of their own.
Chicago’s own now has a place of her own in Chicago.
