Candace Parker takes a new job with Adidas after retiring from a 16-year WNBA career
FILE - Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker reacts during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm, May 20, 2023, in Seattle. The three-time WNBA champion has announced she’s retiring. Parker, a two-time league MVP, announced in a social media post on Sunday, April 28, 2024 that she’s ending her career after 16 seasons. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Candace Parker has a new job as president of women’s basketball at Adidas.
The three-time WNBA champion announced her retirement as a player on April 28 after 16 seasons.
On Wednesday, Adidas announced Parker will help create a platform “aimed at influencing and elevating the future of women’s sports.” She’ll also oversee the brand’s women’s basketball products.
“Stepping into this new leadership role is a deeply personal next step in my journey with Adidas,” she said in a statement. “It’s not just about products; it’s about fostering a movement focused on innovation, representation, and access.”
Parker will also play a role in building upon the brand’s roster of women players that includes Aliyah Boston and Nneka Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike.
“We are confident that she is a perfect fit to evolve the Adidas women’s basketball business and catalyze a new era of growth and credibility for the brand,” Eric Wise, global general manager of Adidas Basketball, said in a statement.
Parker, 38, had been dealing with a foot injury that kept her off the court last season and she decided to retire because she didn’t want to “cheat the game” or herself.
Parker played her first 13 seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Sparks, establishing her dominance early as a No. 1 pick who won Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season. Parker was the only WNBA player to accomplish that feat, averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
She earned her second MVP award in 2013 and won her first title in 2016 with the Sparks. She’d go on to win a second title with her hometown Chicago Sky in 2021 and a third with the Las Vegas Aces last season.