U comin back to play next year or not?

Like many basketball fans, Candace Parker watched the New York Liberty earn their first franchise championship on Sunday. Breanna Stewart and Co. celebrated on their home court after beating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime. The win was impressive but multiple missed calls on both sides caused controversy.

Parker reacted to the victory by showing empathy to the losing team. The three-time WNBA champ said she could “feel the gut-wrenching pain in my stomach when we fell short.”

Sydney Colson, Parker’s former teammate with the Las Vegas Aces, reacted to the two-time MVP’s comment:

“Girl blah blah blah, u comin back to play next year or not?!”

Parker surprised the basketball world when she announced her retirement before the 2024 WNBA season started. She decided to hang up her jersey as she couldn’t recover from a left foot injury that sidelined her for multiple games in 2023.

When a fan asked Colson, a two-time champ with the Aces, if Parker’s return was a possibility, she replied:

Candace Parker’s first WNBA championship came in 2016 when her LA Sparks beat the Minnesota Lynx 3-2. The following year, the Sparks’ bid for a repeat was thwarted by the same opponents. Behind Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore, the Lynx captured the championship in five games.

Parker would go on to win two more titles: one with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and another with Colson and the Aces in 2023, although she did not play in the postseason due to injury.

Sydney Colson trolled Candace Parker after the former two-time MVP announced her retirement

Candace Parker vowed to return in 2024 if healthy. Unfortunately, her foot refused to cooperate, forcing her to walk away from pro basketball in April. Sydney Colson couldn’t resist trolling her once the announcement was made.

Candace Parker fractured her left foot in a game against the Dallas Wings on July 7, 2023. The Las Vegas Aces announced later that it was a season-ending injury as she had to undergo an operation. Without her, the Aces, behind A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum, defended their championship.

Parker averaged 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 18 games (all starts) for the Aces that year.

Edited by Brad Taningco