Coming off her second WNBA title, Chicago Sky superstar Candace Parker has done it all. But at 36 years of age, is she getting close to retiring?
In a recent interview on NBA TV, Parker was asked if she’s heading into the next season as her final season. Parker indicated that she’s entering from the standpoint of it being her final year with the Sky since her contract is expiring. But she doesn’t know what her future holds beyond that.
“That is how I’m entering the season,” Parker said, via ESPN. “I mean, I don’t know, I don’t know what the future holds. I know my contract is up after this year. And there will be decisions to be made.”
Parker said that if she had her way, she would play for five or six more seasons. But she acknowledged that it’s not easy getting into playing shape these days.
“I’m game for playing five, six more WNBA seasons if I could literally have an easy button of getting in shape. It’s the easy button, that’s the problem,” Parker said. “It’s the being in the studio, which I love, but then waking up in the morning and working out before going on air. It’s the travel. It’s the offseason. So I think the first workout that I did the end of October, I was like, ‘Yeah, I really might retire.’ That’s how close I was. I was literally looking at my exercise bike and I was just like, ‘Yeah, that might have been a good time to retire. I don’t want to do this.'”
Candace Parker is a two-time WNBA champion, a two-time MVP, six-time All-Star and a nine-time All-WNBA selection.
When she finally does decide to retire – whether it’s after this season, next season or several seasons from now – it’ll be the end of an era.
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