WNBA free agent Candace Parker to sign with Las Vegas Aces

Two-time WNBA champion and former MVP Candace Parker plans to sign with the Las Vegas Aces as an unrestricted free agent, she announced Saturday on her Instagram.

“As I’ve gone through free agency this time around, of course I’m thinking of where I can compete for my third championship, but the words home and family are what I kept coming back to… I need to be there for my daughter, for my son, for my wife,” Parker posted. “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 former longtime Los Angeles Sparks star spent the last two seasons playing in her hometown of Chicago, helping bring the Sky their first title in 2021. The Aces are coming off a franchise-first title this past season. Parker will join a core of two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, first-team All-WNBA Kelsey Plum and Finals MVP Chelsea Gray.

“When I made the decision to go to Chicago in 2021, I made the decision to go home and be with my family in the place where it all began. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to win a championship in my hometown and parade down the same streets I watched the Bulls parade down as a young girl first falling in love with the game of basketball,” she wrote. “I’m forever appreciative of everyone in Chicago — our fans, teammates, coaches, and ownership. But more than the past two seasons, I’m thankful to the city that raised me, the childhood friends I still have to this day , the teachers I still am learning from, and the moments in time that will forever be in my heart.

“While Chicago will always be my home, my family’s home is on the west coast.”