Candace Parker is considered one of the greatest Women’s basketball players of all time. The three-time WNBA champion won two regular-season MVP awards and one finals MVP award. However, the star intends to continue her relationship with the league even after retirement. She already has a plan to participate actively in the league’s progress.
Yes, the WNBA is growing, and Candace has her fair share of the league’s popularity. The player was one of the most followed athletes during her playing career. She even led the US National side to a gold medal in two Summer Olympic Games. But after working on the court, the 39-year-old retired star has her eyes set on owning a franchise.
Ambitious Project For Former Champion Candace Parker
Many basketball players have been linked with sports franchises, as a retirement plan and as a business venture. Los Angeles’ own Magic Johnson is part-owner of the LA Sparks franchise. And the WNBA’s LA superstar intends to follow a similar path. Candace Parker, before her jersey retirement ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena, mentioned that she wishes to own a stake in a WNBA Franchise.
The 2008 first overall pick of the WNBA Draft was at Sport Beach hosted by Stagwell at Cannes Lions. Talking about the growth in women’s sports, Candace Parker mentioned that in the future, there will be more female games shown on television than male games. During this ‘rainy period’, Parker wants to invest in a WNBA franchise.
“I’m doing everything in my power to try to be involved or have an ownership piece in a WNBA team right now,” She said (via NY Post).
While the new WNBA broadcasting deals already made history, Parker also looks at this as an opportunity to be associated with the league and grow. The league recently announced three new expansion teams, indicating a massive growth opportunity in the WNBA. Parker shares the same vision and wants to contribute as an owner of a franchise now.
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Candace Parker Aims To Grow Women’s Basketball
Interestingly, Candace Parker is already vocal about the growing Women’s basketball. Parker is already involved in the investment world with Marc Lasry’s Avenue Capital. Lasry is a former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner, already aware of the possible growth of the sport in the women’s division.
In June that the fund had raised $445 million in capital. Parker was quick to raise questions about part investment in Women’s sports. The star knows the disparity towards women’s sports so far and wanted to correct the approach.
“The first conversation I had with Marc was, ‘What percentage of the fund are you dedicating to women’s sports?’” She recalled.“Because this isn’t something that I want to come into and just not make an impact on something I’m passionate about. And he was like, ‘We’re going to invest in women’s sports, we’re gonna do it.’ And this was before this last year, year and a half.”
Developing a franchise or even a professional sports team takes time and effort. But Candace Parker’s dedication and intentions are admirable, and they are aimed at one goal only.