Candace Parker’s retirement from the WNBA just before the 2024 season felt like a passing of the torch moment. After 16 long, grueling years of playing basketball professionally, she felt like it was the right time to close the curtain on her illustrious career. However, the unprecedented growth the W has undergone after her retirement has left her pondering one of basketball’s biggest questions – ‘What If?’
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It’s common knowledge that before the popularity boom last year, female basketball players were not treated as well as their male counterparts. They had fewer endorsements; were required to play overseas in order to make decent money; and fly commercially. Parker pointed this out on an episode of ‘The Deal’ while talking to Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly.
She joked about hating the fact that the new facilities came in just after she retired. The WNBA legend tried to imagine how much easier her career would’ve been if she’d had those same facilities. Despite her complaints. Parker said that she’s just happy she could contribute and help improve the league to where it is today.
“Well, I’m pissed that they started chartering the year I retired, not gonna lie. Cos our back-to-backs used to be we would play, and then we’d go to sleep, and then we’d wake up to take the 6 am flight, and then we’d still play the next day. So it makes me a little angry cos it would’ve been nice for your body to catch that chartered flight.”
She recalled the reason for her retirement – repeated injuries to her ankle and brought up what she said when she announced it. Parker talked about going through the hard moments as a WNBA player and mainly spoke about how she, like all players before her, wanted the league to get better for the future stars.
“The league was hard for so many years, and that’s what I said when I retired. I hope it’s not so hard for the next. I want it to get better. More so I’m mad because I’m thinking how much better I could’ve been if I had an offseason, if I didn’t have to go overseas and I could’ve put weight on and I could’ve bulked up and focused on what I wanted to improve on.”
Despite her passionate monologue, she joked about not wanting to be that old player that complained a lot. Joking about Shaquille O’Neal, she claimed she didn’t want to be an “angry old head.”
“I play with a lot of angry old heads, is what we call them. I work with a lot of angry old heads i don’t wanna be the angry old head. I’m not gonna be you know Shaq coming in like ‘Ah you know man up!’ I’m not gonna be that. I’m gonna be the person that’s like I’m happy where it’s at, but man!”
She then brought up the NIL and all the new ways that athletes can earn money now.
Candace Parker didn’t benefit from the NIL, had to play overseas to earn money
The NCAA changed its rules in 2021, allowing collegiate athletes to profit off their brand. It was a huge move for player power. This meant the more popular players could profit off endorsements that used their name and image. It has allowed college athletes to make tremendous sums of money before even making it to the pro leagues.
Parker, who joined the WNBA in 2008, didn’t have any other method of earning. She had to play overseas basketball to supplement wages from the WNBA, and it’s often hypothesized as the reason she ended her career early.
She spoke about the toll that playing overseas took on her body, and also remarked on how it didn’t give her time to recover. Since the Women’s EuroLeague operates when the WNBA is in its offseason, a lot of players would end up playing basketball nearly year-round.
However, the NIL allowed college athletes to rack up money before going pro. Furthermore, with the newly introduced Unrivaled Basketball League, WNBA players now have much more options in regards to earning money. It also affords them the luxury to take a break at the season’s end, something Candace Parker never had.
