When the Las Vegas Aces announced they would not renew general manager Natalie Williams’ contract on Saturday, fans were emotional. Williams, hired in 2022, had led the Aces to two consecutive WNBA titles. However, after a disappointing semi-final series exit for A’ja Wilson & Co., fans speculated that this performance led to Williams’ departure. Soon, social media buzzed with rumors that Candace Parker was the Aces’ new GM.

Parker entered the league as the first overall pick in 2008, drafted by the LA Sparks. After spending 12 years with the Sparks, she moved to the Chicago Sky in 2021, ultimately joining the Aces in 2023, where she concluded her career. Given her knowledge of the 2X WNBA Champions’ operations, many fans believed the rumors. However, they are false.

Possible reasons behind Candace Parker rumors

Former GM Natalie Williams was also an Aces player when the franchise was known as the Utah Starzz. Drafted as the third overall pick in 1999, Williams played with the team until 2002, showcasing the Aces’ history of appointing former players to key executive roles. This trend added credibility to the idea of Parker leading the Las Vegas-based franchise.

When Parker retired in April, she posted a brief but heartfelt message explaining her decision to leave the game: “I promised I’d never cheat the game & that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it.” Many fans interpreted this sentiment as a willingness to step into a leadership role, strengthening the rumors of her appointment.

The 38-year-old knows how to better a team, and the Aces could utilize her skills here as they had a poor run this season, and therefore the Missouri-born could once again, maybe, take on a role and “leave it in a better place than I came into it.” Furthermore, if we consider this fake announcement from the players’ perspective, then Parker knows most of the squad, having played with them.

Hence, she is well aware of the people management skills needed to bring out the best in the Aces, and maybe she could do just that if appointed. On top of that, the 3X WNBA Champion’s previous statements also reflected her interest in executive positions.

Candace Parker is interested in taking on a new WNBA role

Months after Parker had called it a day, she appeared at the Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovation Summit in Healdsburg, where she discussed her goals post-basketball. In one instance, she expressed a desire to own a WNBA and an NBA team. “I would love to own a WNBA team and an NBA team,” she told Goldman Sachs’ co-head of global banking and markets, Dan Dees.

However, Fortune reported that with her WNBA earnings at $8 million, Parker still falls $3 million short of the NBA’s lowest-paid player, making team ownership a challenging goal for now. According to them, Parker would have to make “quite a gap” to buy even the “cheapest pro-basketball teams.” Hence, fans now felt that instead of buying a team, she decided to lead one as a GM to see how it went. However, these are only rumors as of now.

While Parker’s future goals are exciting, the immediate question is what Aces President Nikki Fargas will decide as the organization undergoes restructuring. If the Aces were to hire Parker, it would be an inspiring move that could potentially lead the team to a third WNBA title next season.