Candace Parker: Unrivaled league will force the WNBA to figure out what they can do better

Candace Parker has grand plans for NBA and WNBA team ownership

Candace Parker walked away from her sensational WNBA career year and is now looking to take another step in the sport announcing her future plans after joining Adidas as president of women’s basketball

Candace Parker is looking to become an owner of both an NBA and WNBA team after surprising the basketball world and walking away from the sport. She has announced her intentions to get back involved with a team in the coming years.

Parker had been a part of the Las Vegas Aces team that won the 2023 championship, before re-signing on a one-year deal ahead of the 2024 season. But prior to the year beginning, Parker instead retired after rehabbing a foot injury that forced her to miss the previous playoffs as her Aces team won it all.

The two-time MVP, who made history after becoming the first women’s player to win the award in her rookie season, before becoming the second woman ever to dunk in a game, recently signed a deal with Adidas to become their president of women’s basketball. But she now wants to return to a team setting.

Parker spoke at a summit in California this week, where she said: “I would love to own a WNBA team and an NBA team.”

Despite Parker being the highest-paid women’s player of all time, she has been said to make around $8 million – falling astronomically short of having the funds to be able to purchase an NBA team. Despite the rise in the popularity of the sport, WNBA players still make just a fraction compared to those in the NBA – with the likes of Steph Curry and LeBron James making more than $50 million per year.

While NBA teams have been sold for around the $4 billion mark in recent years, the cheapest WNBA team is said to be valued at around $55 million – meaning Parker would need to be in an ownership group if she is to realize her dream.

Interestingly, Parker became a part of such team when she joined Stephen Curry, Michael Strahan and Lindsey Vonn as part of billionaire investor Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund.

Parker retired from the sport prior to the 2024 season ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Lasry has previously owned an NBA franchise after he sold his majority stake in the Milwaukee Bucks, and could look to invest in another team in the future should one become available.

For now, Parker remains with Adidas in her role in which she hopes to help continue to elevate the sport after it’s rapid growth, most notbaly since Caitlin Clark was drafted this past year.

After signing with Adidas, she said: “Stepping into this new leadership role is a deeply personal next step in my journey with Adidas. From high school to college to playing pro to now, this appointment by Adidas symbolizes a shared commitment to making impactful change and setting new benchmarks for the future of women’s sports. It’s not just about products; it’s about fostering a movement focused on innovation, representation and access.”