Candace Parker stunned the basketball world two years ago when she decided to leave the Los Angeles Sparks — the franchise that had drafted her over a decade earlier — to play for her hometown team in the Chicago Sky. At the time, the move marked arguably the most seismic free-agency decision in the two-decade history of the WNBA, coming on the heels of a new collective bargaining agreement that facilitated greater player movement.
The two-time WNBA MVP and two-time league champion shocked fans once again on Saturday in a decision that was perhaps even less predictable than her Chicago homecoming: Parker announced on Instagram she’ll sign with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, joining forces with two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, first team All-WNBA standout Kelsey Plum and 2022 playoff sensation Chelsea Gray, with whom Parker won her first championship, in Los Angeles.
How does Parker get incorporated into the Aces’ system? Are they the automatic favorites to win the 2023 title, which would make them the first franchise to repeat since the Sparks did so in 2001 and 2002? And what does this mean for the Sky? ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou, Ramona Shelburne and M.A. Voepel analyze all that and more.
