Candace Parker wants to play next season if she can get healthy
FILE - Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker (3) reacts during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm, Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Seattle. Parker plans on playing another season if she's healthy enough to do so. The two-time WNBA MVP missed the Las Vegas Aces run to a second straight league championship after having surgery on her left foot in late July.
FILE - Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker (3) looks to shoot against Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor (13) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Seattle. Parker plans on playing another season if she's healthy enough to do so. The two-time WNBA MVP missed the Las Vegas Aces run to a second straight league championship after having surgery on her left foot in late July.
NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Candace Parker plans on playing another season if she鈥檚 healthy enough to do so.
The two-time WNBA MVP missed the Las Vegas Aces鈥� run to a second straight league championship after having surgery on her left foot in late July.
鈥淚鈥檒l weigh my options. If I feel really, really good then I鈥檒l play,鈥� she said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big if. I鈥檝e got to get my foot right. My foot was really bad last year. I don鈥檛 want to cheat the game or cheat myself.鈥�
Parker said that her left foot had been injured all season 鈥� her first with the Aces 鈥� but she played through it. It wasn鈥檛 until she injured her right ankle and Achilles tendon that she got an MRI on her left one too.
鈥淚 did it and it was 89% fractured. It鈥檚 crazy how things work out,鈥� said the 37-year-old Parker, who is a free agent but would go back to Las Vegas.
She was on a scooter for 10 1/2 weeks after having surgery and is finally starting to feel a bit better.
鈥淓very day my foot doesn鈥檛 feel great walking,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 continue to rehab and stuff. I can鈥檛 play in pain. It makes the game not fun. I realized on Halloween that I want to take my kids trick or treating. I don鈥檛 want to be sitting in the car because I can鈥檛 walk. I want to be able to go out to the beach. I love playing beach volleyball. I don鈥檛 know if one more season is worth risking that.鈥�
Parker was in New York for the premiere of her documentary 鈥淯napologetic鈥� that will debut on Sunday on ESPN.
The film chronicles Parker鈥檚 entire story from her childhood in Naperville, Illinois, to becoming a high school basketball phenom, who went on to win two championships at Tennessee. It continues with her WNBA career after getting drafted first by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008 and winning the league鈥檚 MVP and Rookie of the Year that season. The film was shot before she joined Las Vegas a free agent this past year.
Parker opens up in the documentary about being left off the 2016 Olympic team, motherhood, her divorce from former NBA player Shelden Williams.
鈥淎 lot of those points in the documentary were well done. I鈥檓 proud of it. Proud of the way we handled my injuries, we didn鈥檛 make excuses,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he way we handled the USA situation. I鈥檓 not going to badmouth people. These are the facts however you want to interpret it. This is why I was upset. Same thing with the divorce. We co-parent well. We had experience doing it when I was overseas for eight years.鈥�
Parker also opens up about her marriage to her former Russian league teammate Anna Petrakova.
鈥淵ou realize the responsibility that there are so many people who are struggling whether you鈥檙e bringing home someone from the opposite race or the opposite sex or going through things yourself about your identity,鈥� Parker said.
鈥淚t got to a point where I can鈥檛 look my daughter in the eyes and tell her to be herself and proud of who she is and we鈥檙e walking into a room where she can鈥檛 say that鈥檚 my bonus mom or this is my mom鈥檚 wife.鈥�