Candace Parker is returning to the Las Vegas Aces on a one-year deal, sources confirm to Winsidr’s Rachel Galligan.
Parker’s 16-year career began in 2008 when she was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks. Since then, she’s made stops in Chicago with the Sky and Las Vegas with the Aces. Collectively, the 37-year-old has been a seven-time All-Star, three-time WNBA champion with three different teams, the 2008 Rookie of the Year and MVP, 2016 Finals MVP, and 2020 Defensive Player of the Year. Her resume is impeccable, and she has averaged double figures in points per game (PPG) every year except 2023.
Speaking of 2023, she averaged 9.0 PPG, 5.4 rebounds per game (RPG), and 3.7 assists per game (APG) on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor. Parker was also only able to play in 18 of the Aces’ games last year, starting in all of them, due to a fractured foot that she had surgically repaired in July.
With Parker on the floor, the Aces looked like an unstoppable force. (Granted, yes, they still secured the title, but the distance between Las Vegas and the field shrunk considerably with her absence.) With the future Hall-of-Famer back in the fold, often operating as a second field general at the high post, the Aces are impossible to match up with. As a depth addition, she also provides the ultimate flexibility for Coach Becky Hammon, who can get more creative with lineup constructions and keep the starters’ minutes lower. In 2024, Parker will resume her role as the perfect cog in an already well-oiled machine.
For her career, Parker is averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, on 47.9 percent shooting.