Candace Parker now has jerseys hanging in the rafters in Los Angeles and Knoxville.

Her No. 3 jersey debuted in the rafters June 29 at Crypto.com Arena, home to the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. The Sparks drafted Parker No. 1 in 2008, the day after she won a national title in Tampa – Pat Summitt’s eighth and final one – for Tennessee.

At halftime last Sunday against the Chicago Sky, the jersey was unveiled with Parker, who was holding son Airr with daughter Lailaa, now a teenager, surrounded by family and friends, including former Sparks legend Lisa Leslie, whose No. 9 jersey also is in the rafters. Parker gave birth to Lailaa in May 2009, right before her second WNBA season started with Sparks and made it back to the court 53 days later.

“Candace has always been a mentor for me in that way,” said Dearica Hamby, a forward for the Sparks who has two young children and is now in her 10th WNBA season. “She made being a mom cool, and that it was possible to do both. I’m grateful for her and our friendship.”

The full ceremony, which aired live at halftime on ESPN, can be watched HERE. Parker also held a pre-game press conference, which can be watched HERE.

“When I got drafted out here, it became home,” said Parker, who ultimately bought a home in Southern California and made it her permanent residence. “I lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else, and so it’s super important for me to be able to see this jersey in the rafters before any of the other ones. I think my 13 years here were super special.

“It was ups, downs, wins, losses, heartbreaks, rewards, but I think it’s just super special to be able to share that with my teammates and coaches and the organization that bet on me and picked me first in the 2008 WNBA Draft.”

The words “before any of the other ones” referred to an upcoming ceremony in Chicago. Parker, who won a WNBA championship in 2021 for the Chicago Sky, grew up in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago, and signed as a free agent with the Sky with the goal of bringing her hometown a WNBA title.

Her No. 3 Sky jersey will be retired and raised to the rafters Aug. 25 at Wintrust Arena. Ironically, Chicago was the opponent in Los Angeles. For the Chicago ceremony, the opponent will be the Las Vegas Aces, a team Parker played for in 2023 before a persistent foot injury ended her season with the Aces also winning a WNBA title for the third ring of Parker’s career. After one surgery didn’t work, she needed another one and before training camp started, she officially retired in 2024 in a column that was covered below.

‘You don’t have to tell your story. Time will.’

Parker became the first WNBA player to win MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in her first season. It is a feat unlikely to be repeated. The WNBA championship with the Sparks came in 2016 just months after the death of Pat Summitt from Alzheimer’s disease, and Parker broke down in tears on the court. After the buzzer sounded in Chicago in 2021, she cradled the basketball and sprinted to her family in an emotional celebration.

“Growing up in Naperville, playing on courts around here with my brothers, and watching Chicago teams like the Bulls who became synonymous with winning, I never imagined one day my jersey would hang in the rafters of my hometown team,” Parker said. “Coming home to Chicago and helping bring the city its first WNBA championship here – it was personal. I’m beyond grateful to the city, the fans and everyone who’s been part of my journey. Chicago raised me, and this will always be home.”

The jersey retirement game in Los Angeles became a Lady Vol celebration with three former Tennessee players on the Sparks’ roster, including Rae Burrell, Rickea Jackson and Mercedes Russell. Kim Caldwell, who completed her debut season in 2024-25 as head coach of the Lady Vols, also made the trip to Los Angeles.

“Having her jersey retired in both Los Angeles and Chicago – two WNBA cities where she shaped the culture and identity of their teams – is a powerful and fitting tribute to all Candace has accomplished,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “On behalf of the WNBA, I want to thank Candace for being an extraordinary ambassador for the sport, and have admired her ability to balance her playing career, her family and her broadcast career.  Her legacy will live on – in the rafters and in the hearts of fans everywhere.”

The Chicago ceremony will be the third for the basketball legend. Parker’s No. 3 jersey also hangs in the rafters at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center after being retired by Tennessee in 2014.

“I think to see where women’s sports is, as a society we should be proud, because I think we need women in leadership positions, and that’s the best way to do it through sport and giving it a chance,” Parker said. “I can tell my kids that as a little girl and a little boy, you can dream it, and you can do and accomplish anything.”

Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press and a 10th anniversary edition will be released in 2026.