Candace Parker has officially joined one of the rarest groups in basketball after the Chicago Sky retired her No. 3 jersey, making her only the second player in WNBA history to have her number retired by two different franchises. The honor comes about two months after the Los Angeles Sparks retired her No. 3 jersey in a halftime ceremony held in June.
Candace Parker Joins Elite Group with Rare Double Jersey Retirement
Parker Grateful To Join Elite Group
Parker began her WNBA career in Los Angeles, where she played for 13 seasons and established herself as one of the league’s all-time greats. Later, she returned home to Chicago, her birthplace, and led the Sky to their first championship in 2021. Now, both cities have placed her jersey among the franchise legends, ensuring fans in two different arenas will permanently remember her legacy.
Emotional Night at Wintrust Arena
The latest ceremony came during the Sky’s game against the Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena. At halftime, the team lifted Parker’s jersey to join Chicago’s 2021 championship banner in the rafters. Just two months earlier, the Sparks held a similar ceremony in Los Angeles. That event included tributes from Lisa Leslie, Penny Toler, and other Sparks greats, as Parker’s jersey became only the third to be retired by the team.
“It’s super special,” Parker said before Monday’s game. “I’m grateful to join that crew and it’ll be really cool to bring my grandkids back and be like, ‘You know your grandma could hoop.”
“My heart will always belong to the state of Illinois, the city of Naperville, and the city of Chicago,” she said during her jersey retirement speech. “It’s not just where I’m from, it’s the core of who I am. To my family, to my coaches, to my trainers, doctors, teachers, mentors, opponents, teammates, the entire Sky organization… all the supporters throughout the years are going up in the rafters.”
“To my family, to my coaches, to my trainers, doctors, teachers, mentors, opponents, teammates, the entire Sky organization… all the supporters throughout the years are going up in the rafters.”
— Candace Parker during her jersey retirement speech 💙✨ pic.twitter.com/bah9uZqdec
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 26, 2025
Parker becomes the second Sky player to have her jersey retired by the franchise. The 39-year-old retired in 2024 as a two-time MVP, seven-time All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and three-time WNBA champion after winning titles with the Los Angeles Sparks, the Sky, and the Aces. She’s also the second WNBA player to have her number retired by two different teams, after Lindsay Whalen, whose jersey was retired by both the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx.
Copper Describes Parker as Greatest of All Time
Parker was the face of the Sparks for more than a decade. She won Rookie of the Year and MVP in her first season in 2008, becoming the first player in league history to do both in the same year. She later helped the Sparks capture the 2016 championship, earning Finals MVP for her performance.
When she joined the Sky in 2021, Parker was already a two-time MVP and established star. Yet she still managed to create one of the biggest moments in Chicago basketball history by guiding the team to its first title. That run not only cemented her as a champion in two cities but also gave her hometown a reason to lift her into their rafters just four years later.
Parker’s former teammate and current Phoenix Mercury star Kahleah Copper heaped praise on her in a speech during the halftime ceremony of her jersey retirement. “Legend, champ, game changer, icon, leader, GOAT—that’s how I describe you,” Copper said. “You gave this game everything. Your time, body and Your heart. You didn’t just play the game. You set records, you broke barriers and you left a mark that stats can’t fully compare. I’m living proof.”
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
