Basketball legend Candace Parker is set to make her mark off the court—as the newly appointed president of Adidas women’s basketball.
The WNBA star shocked fans and players alike at the end of April by announcing her retirement. Parker, who played 16 seasons in the league, is practically synonymous with women’s basketball. The news that she was leaving the league, coming on the same day that the WNBA’s training camps commenced, caught many off-guard.
Shaquille O’Neal, with whom Parker is an analyst on TNT, took a moment on Inside the NBA to chide Parker for not giving him a heads up. “Candace, I talked to you on the phone the other day,” he said with mock severity, addressing her through the TV screen, “You should have told me.” When Breanna Stewart, a rival forward and friend, was told by journalist Ben Pickman on camera that Parker was retiring, she appeared lost for words: “What? Wait, right now? Wait, she’s not playing any more?”