Candace Parker won both Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2008 and never slowed down. Multiple MVPs, championships, and All-WNBA selections later, she had become a bona fide legend. But by the time she joined the 2023 Las Vegas Aces, her role was much smaller.<\/p>\n
Parker had recently undergone surgery on her injured foot and missed the team\u2019s entire playoff run. The good news was that the Aces thrived under A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> and won Parker her third WNBA championship. The bad news was that, although she embraced her supporting role, it still felt strange not being on the court.<\/p>\n This formed the basis of Parker\u2019s recent conversation on All The Smoke. The now 39-year-old superstar recalled the mindset she was in during that difficult period and how she had to convince herself that it was okay to help the team in other ways.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay to be honest with yourself, where it\u2019s like, \u2018It\u2019s not fun for basketball if I don\u2019t have the ball in my hand. And if I\u2019m not operating from this position because I\u2019ve done that for so long.\u2019 Do other players wanna extend to play basketball and play another role? Yes, that\u2019s great for them. I don\u2019t know if I can do that and not make everybody miserable around me,\u201d Parker began.<\/p>\n It was tough for a player as dominant as Parker<\/a> to be unable to participate in the game that had given her so much glory. But life is never easy, especially for athletes. Still, her acceptance of reality allowed her to simply be present and witness Wilson rise to greatness.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m better over here outside the lines. I\u2019m better like, \u2018Hey let\u2019s add this. Let\u2019s do this.\u2019 Encouragement. That type of thing, because that was the shift. That was the a\u2019ha moment where I was like, \u2018A\u2019ja getting busy. She\u2019s MVP. She\u2019s got years to come. I want to help her grow in that way and be a support system.\u201d<\/p>\n Parker admitted that her final ring feels like it has an asterisk on it since she did not play a single minute. However, she also shared that she learned just as much from A\u2019ja and the Aces<\/a>\u2019 triumph as she did from her first two WNBA titles with the Sparks<\/a>.<\/p>\n