KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The jersey of Tennessee women’s basketball great Candace Parker was retired on Sunday by the Los Angeles Sparks, the WNBA team where she spent the majority of her record-breaking professional career.

Her No. 3 jersey was raised to the rafters of Crypto.com Arena during Sunday’s game against the Chicago Sky. Parker marked the occasion in an orange outfit, an apparent nod to her distinguished college career on Rocky Top.

The jersey of former Los Angeles Sparks player Candace Parker, center, gestures alongside her family during her jersey retirement ceremony during a WNBA basketball game between the Sparks and the Chicago Sky, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Former Los Angeles Sparks player Candace Parker, center, looks on with her family during her jersey retirement ceremony during a WNBA basketball game between the Sparks and the Chicago Sky, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Former Los Angeles Sparks player Candace Parker speaks during her jersey retirement ceremony during a WNBA basketball game between the Sparks and the Chicago Sky, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Former Los Angeles Sparks player Candace Parker, second from left, reacts with her family during her jersey retirement ceremony during a WNBA basketball game between the Sparks and the Chicago Sky, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
Former Los Angeles Sparks player Candace Parker reacts during a press conference before a WNBA basketball game against Chicago Sky, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Parker is considered one of the best players in the history of women’s basketball and was voted one of the 25 greatest WNBA players of all-time in 2021. She is just the third Sparks player to have her jersey retired after Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie and WNBA trailblazer Penny Toler.

The Sparks selected her with the first pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft one day after she guided Tennessee to a second consecutive national championship title. She spent 13 of her 16 seasons in the WNBA in Los Angeles. Parker was the first player in league history to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season and is one of only eight players to win MVP multiple times.

She was a six-time WNBA First Team selection as a member of the Sparks and led the team to a championship in 2016, where she was named WNBA Finals MVP.

The Chicago Sky are scheduled to retire Parker’s No. 3 jersey on August 25. The Naperville, Illinois native spent two seasons as a member of the Sky and helped the team to its first WNBA title in 2021.

“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 in a statement on Sunday. “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.”

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