Shaquille O’Neal Partly Influenced Candace Parker’s WNBA Retirement With Crucial Revelation

WNBA legend Candace Parker decided to finish her career in the WNBA after 16 long seasons a few days back. Her incredible resume which includes 3 WNBA championships, 2 MVPs, 7 All-Star appearances, and more, hints at a Hall of Fame induction soon, but before that, there is some work that she is willing to do in favor of the game. Parker has put her body to rest, but not her mind. The 38-year-old joined the NBA on TNT crew to talk about her “next chapter” in life after retirement. Surprisingly, she credited Shaquille O’Neal for the two important decisions that she took in one week. 

Shaq showed his love and respect to Candace Parker, who joined Inside the NBA today for her retirement. Parker took this moment to cherish her friendship with the Big Diesel. She said, “I appreciate you. I recently saw your podcast where you were talking about why you retired because you felt like you weren’t ‘him’ anymore. I think that was part of the reason why, you know, it was time.” Parker credited Shaq for helping her to decide on retirement. That was not the only thing that the Los Angeles Lakers legend helped her with, though. 

Earlier today, Adidas announced their new President of women’s basketball, and it is none other than Candace Parker. This next big chapter of her life was announced a few hours ago. Looks like Shaq had a part in this too. Parker said, “I appreciate you being a role model for me, not only on the court…but off the court. I’m trying to be a businesswoman, like you. So thank you for raising the bar.” 

That was a wholesome exchange between Shaq and Parker today. Now it’s time for Parker to take over Adidas. 

“I don’t want to be a mascot“: Candace Parker on what her role with Adidas will look like

Candace Parker is serious about this new role that she has achieved. Shaquille O’Neal is the president of Reebok basketball. The two will likely lock horns with each other in the near future because Parker is not willing to be just a role player for Adidas. She revealed, “I said to [Adidas], ‘I don’t want to be a mascot…I really want to be in the meetings, and I want to be a part of making decisions.“

Adidas basketball General Manager Eric Wise shared a few words about the 3x WNBA champion, “In her new role as President, Parker will collaborate with the brand to create a powerful platform aimed at influencing and elevating the future of women’s sports…The WNBA legend will leverage her deep understanding of the game and the needs of female athletes to define a clear and impactful direction.” This shows us the huge responsibility that Parker has chosen to take. All this proves nothing but her true love for the game.