Candace Parker has one lofty post-retirement goal

On Sunday, Candace Parker, arguably one of the most outstanding women's basketball players of all time, announced she was retiring from the game following 16 pro seasons. However, the multiple-time WNBA champion and Olympic gold-medal winner's post-retirement goals may be even loftier. 

In her retirement announcement posted to Instagram, Parker vowed to own teams in both the WNBA and NBA. 

Parker's statement shouldn't come as a surprise. Not only has she already put her money where her mouth is by investing in the National Women's Soccer League team, Angel City FC, but the former two-time MVP has previously spoken about owning a basketball team. In June 2023, she alluded to the possibility in an interview with Andrew Cohen of Front Office Sports, saying she'd "love" the opportunity to be a part of an ownership group. 

"Looking at the NBA, back in the day, they made it important for players to be coaches, and now they want players to be a part of ownership groups," Parker said. "And I know that the WNBA is gonna be similar in that there's power in having voices that have been players." 

Parker isn't wrong. Names like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal have dipped their toes into NBA ownership, and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has stated he'd like to do the same once he decides to hang it up. In an interview with ESPN in 2016, James said his "dream" was to own a team. 

Women's sports have seen a titanic growth recently, and it makes sense that former players would want to get more involved in the business side of things. As of now, no former WNBA players own a piece of a team, but after all she's accomplished on the hardwood, there's reason to believe Parker will make good on her promise.