Candace Parker has a knack for being the first.
The future Hall of Famer started her career by becoming the first and only player to win ROY and MVP in the same season. Fast forward 15 years, and Parker would end her career by becoming the WNBA’s first player to hoist a championship trophy with three different teams. Her initial title came in 2016 with the organization that gave her a shot, the Los Angeles Sparks. The last came with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023, which was also the final season that Parker stepped on the court. As for the middle title, that came in storybook fashion with her hometown Chicago Sky.
And, you guessed it, it was the franchise’s first.
Growing up right outside the city in the busy suburb of Naperville, Parker knew there was something different about Chicago. It’s why returning home was the only alternative option for her when free agency hit in 2021. It’s also why her jersey retirement on Monday night at Wintrust Arena was so emotional.
As the retired superstar addressed the media before her halftime ceremony, she waxed poetic about winning in Chicago. Her words served as a reminder of what this city still symbolizes to so many locals.
“I grew up in the 90s like a lot of people in the Chicagoland area, and it was like eat Portillo’s, eat Giordano’s, go to Grant Park in June because the Bulls were going to win the championship,” Candace Parker said. “Those three things were for sure. Living in this city, it was like winning was the bar. If you didn’t win, there was nothing else.
To see the Stanley Cups, to see the Chicago Bulls, and be a part of bringing a championship to Chicago is surreal, to be honest with you. I’m still waiting for the remix of the Super Shuffle, but to be from here, to win a championship here, there is nothing like it … I think winning in Chicago, there is nothing like it.”
Parker is one of a select few over the last decade who can say they understand that feeling. Her championship banner with the Sky represents one of only two banners in Chicago over the last nine years (2016 Chicago Cubs). Heck, when compared to staple franchises like the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, White Sox, and Blackhawks, the Sky stand as the only team with at least two trips to the second round of the playoffs during this span.
In other words, as the bar in Chicago begins to lower, a night like this one carries that much more weight. Candace Parker isn’t just a great homecoming story; she is a representation of what Chicago sports is supposed to be about. As long as her jersey hangs down from the rafters on the city’s South Side, it will remind everyone of what should always come first – winning.
You can now watch Candace Parker’s full halftime speech and retirement ceremony on the WNBA’s YouTube page.
Aug 25, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky franchise legend and WNBA Champion Candace Parker watches her jersey being retired during a ceremony during a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesHence then, the article about candace parker had a great quote about chicago sports during jersey retirement night was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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