Each offseason, the difficult question of sports retirement becomes more and more burdensome for Candace Parker. WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces last month, the inside player went through a complicated exercise with a serious injury to her left foot which required an operation.
The pain had already handicapped her the previous season, and the choice to give up on the end of the season had therefore become obvious. But what about next?
While Becky Hammon’s protégés won a second consecutive title without her, Candace Parker hopes to continue her career with the Nevada franchise, provided of course that health follows.
“I will consider my options. If I feel really, really good, then I’ll play.”, she said yesterdaywhile she is a “free agent”. “That’s a huge ‘if’ because I need to fix my foot. My foot was really bad last year. I don’t want to cheat with sport or lie to myself.”
A risk for daily comfort
The player actually admitted to having stretched her body too much, only pressing pause when she discovered that her left foot was “89% fractured” because she had undergone examinations following an injury to her right foot…
Her rehabilitation is therefore still far from over, while she must assess the consequences on her future life.
“My foot doesn’t feel its best every day when I walk. I continue my rehabilitation and everything else”she clarified. “I can’t play with pain, it makes the game less fun. I realized on Halloween that I wanted to take my kids trick-or-treating. I don’t want to stay in the car because I can’t walk. I also want to be able to go to the beach. I love playing volleyball. I don’t know if one more season is worth taking that risk.”
Finally, note that even if she became a free agent, it was noted that her return would be to the Aces next season, if she decided to continue her career. Candace Parker would then be 38 years old…
