Few moments in WNBA history carried as much emotion as Candace Parker’s return to Chicago in 2021. After spending 13 years with the Los Angeles Sparks — where she won two MVPs, a championship, and became one of the most recognizable faces in women’s basketball — Parker stunned the league by signing with her hometown team, the Chicago Sky.
The storyline was already powerful: a legendary player returning to where it all began, hoping to deliver her city its first WNBA championship. But it was her first home game in a Sky jersey that showed just how transformative her presence would be.
Playing at Wintrust Arena in front of a sellout crowd, Parker didn’t just show up — she dominated. She scored 16 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists, controlling the game with her trademark versatility. But the numbers told only part of the story. Every time she touched the ball, the energy in the building shifted. Every basket felt like a statement: Chicago was no longer a longshot, they were a contender.
The most electric moment came late in the fourth quarter. With the Sky clinging to a slim lead, Parker nailed a clutch three-pointer from the top of the arc. As the shot dropped, she turned to the crowd, pounding her chest and shouting in celebration. The arena shook with chants of “CAN-DACE! CAN-DACE!”
For fans in Chicago, it was surreal. Parker wasn’t just a star returning home; she was living proof that legends can write their own second chapters. In a league where loyalty and legacy matter deeply, Parker showed that sometimes the greatest way to cement a career is to bring glory back to your roots.
That season ended in a storybook fashion with the Sky winning the 2021 WNBA championship, but in many ways, the tone was set on that very homecoming night. Parker didn’t just return to Chicago — she reignited it.
As she put it after the game, fighting back tears:
“This city made me. To come back and play here, in front of my family, in front of my daughter, in front of the people who believed in me first — it means everything.”
Her homecoming wasn’t just about basketball. It was about belonging, legacy, and rewriting a story in the most perfect way possible.
