Chicago Native, WNBA MVP Parker Signs With Sky: 'I'm Home'

CHICAGO – Candace Parker’s two-word affirmation may not be held to the same standard as that of another Chicago basketball legend, but it is making news just the same.

I’m home.

Parker, the Naperville native and two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Chicago Sky, the team announced on Monday. Parker, 34, spent the first 13 years of her career with the Los Angeles Sparks and by returning to Chicago, adds automatic credibility to the championship aspirations of an already talented roster that has come up shy in its pursuit of a league title since the departure of former league MVP Elena Della Donne.

Parker, who was the WNBA’s top defensive player in 2020, has a career scoring average of 16.9 points per game during her playing career and has also averaged 8.6 rebounds per game to go along with 3.9 assists and 1.6 blocks. She will be formally introduced in a news conference on Tuesday that will also include Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Sky announced.

“Chicago is where my family raised me; where I first learned the game of basketball; and where I first fell in love with this orange ball,” Parker said in a statement issued by the team Monday. “I am excited to continue the next chapter of my career where it all began. To my new teammates, my new organization, and my new fans: I’m home.”

Parker’s “I’m home” sentiments are familiar to those of former Bulls star Michael Jordan, who famously issued the two-word statement, “I’m back” after leaving the NBA to pursue a career in professional baseball.

Parker starred at Naperville Central before playing collegiately at the University of Tennessee, where she won two national championships. Parker won a pair of state championships at Naperville Central, where the future national Player of the Year and overall No. 1 draft pick of the Sparks, captured Ms. Basketball Honors three times in Illinois. Parker averaged 22 points and 15 points a game and once famously dunked in a game.

While with the Sparks, Parker won a WNBA title in 2016 and was a five-time All-Star while also winning two Olympic gold medals. She now joins a cast of teammates with the Sky that includes former All-Stars Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Diamond Deshields.
Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. Off the court, Parker has worked as an NBA television analyst and was considered one of the biggest free agent targets in the WNBA.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Monday that Parker is slated to make just under the league maximum of $190,550 as she becomes a centerpiece in the Sky's chase for a championship.

“It’s indescribable to put into words what this moment means to our organization and to the city of Chicago.” Sky General Manager and Head Coach James Wade said in a statement Monday. “It’s an incredible story of a homecoming between a team striving to become a championship organization and one of the best players in basketball.

“Candace is someone who has meant so much to the game — and not just in L.A. or Chicago — her stature is truly unmatched. It says a lot about the strides we’ve made in the right direction and we believe Candace is the one who is going to take us to that next level.”