Candace Parker: Looking back at her 2 seasons with the Chicago Sky — including the team’s 1st WNBA title

After two years playing for her hometown team, Candace Parker on Saturday announced her departure from the Chicago Sky to sign with the Las Vegas Aces for the 2023 WNBA season.

But despite her short tenure in Chicago, Parker accomplished nearly every goal she set out when she the former Naperville Central star first returned — All-Star selections, a record-breaking regular season and the franchise’s first WNBA title.

Take a look back at the best moments in Parker’s two-year run with the Sky.

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Parker announced her return to Chicago on Feb. 1, 2021, ushering in a new era for the Sky. After years of building around Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Kahleah Copper, the addition of Parker was the last piece the Sky needed to lift themselves to true WNBA title contenders.

Sky coach and general manager James Wade didn’t hold back on his enthusiasm over the signing during Parker’s introductory news conference: “Nobody has ever signed a free agent like this.”

Despite those high expectations, Parker’s first season didn’t seem to live up to the hype — at least not at first.

The 2021 regular season was a roller coaster for the Sky, who finished 16-16 after spending most of the season below .500. Despite struggling with injuries throughout the regular season, Parker led the Sky in rebounds (8.4) and blocks (1.2) per game and was second in scoring (13.3 points per game).

But everything changed when the Sky reached the playoffs. After escaping the opening single-elimination rounds against the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx, the Sky beat the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals and the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals — both three games to one — to cement the first championship in franchise history.

Parker powered the Sky in the Finals, averaging 14.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

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Before signing with the Sky, Parker had been named an All-Star in only one of the previous six seasons. Her scoring numbers dipped as the Sky spread the offense efficiently among Vandersloot, Quigley, Copper and Parker. But the result was two of Parker’s strongest seasons, resulting in back-to-back All-Star designations.

In 2022, Parker was part of a four-player Sky contingent — also including Vandersloot, Copper and Emma Meesseman — as the team hosted the All-Star Game at Wintrust Arena.

Coming off their first title, the Sky recorded the best regular season in franchise history in 2022. They finished 26-10 and lost only four home games.

Parker averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the record-breaking season.

Even in her short tenure, Parker left the Sky with a list of new milestones. In her first season in Chicago, she was named to the W25 — the top 25 players in WNBA history.

The accolades continued in her second season. She became the first WNBA player to record three triple-doubles in one season and the first to record 6,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists in a career.

She joined Brittney Griner as the only players to average 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists over a five-game playoff span. Parker passed Tamika Catchings for first on the WNBA’s all-time postseason defensive rebounds list.

Although Parker is leaving Chicago, she’ll be able to continue making records with the Aces — including chasing the all-time playoff records for scoring, rebounding and blocks.