Report: Former MVP Candace Parker to Sign With Chicago Sky

Former WNBA MVP Candace Parker has committed to playing for the Chicago Sky next season, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. 

News of Parker's talks with the Sky was first reported by TheNextHoops' Nick Niendorf.

Parker, who was drafted No. 1 in the 2008 WNBA draft, has spent the first 13 seasons of her WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks. An unrestricted free-agent, she is set to sign with Chicago on Monday when players can officially sign with their new teams. 

According to ESPN, the Sparks did try to retain Parker, but the opportunity to play in her native Chicago and spend the latter portion of her career playing in front of friends and family was too appealing to pass up.

Parker, 34, finished third in the WNBA MVP voting last season and won her first Defensive Player of the Year award. Her resume also includes an WNBA championship, WNBA finals MVP, two regular-season MVPs and a Rookie of the Year award, all of which she accumulated in Los Angeles.

Last season, the Sparks finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed at 15–7, but were eliminated in the second-round of the 2020 playoffs. Sparks star forward Nneka Ogwumike is expected to re-sign with the team on a multi-year deal, according to Winsidr's Rachel Galligan.

Chicago finished last year 12–10 on the season and lost to the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs. 

Allie Quigley led the team in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game, while guard Courtney Vandersloot set the all-time WNBA record for assists per game, averaging 10 assists per contest. 

The upcoming WNBA season will mark the 25th anniversary of the league. No official start date has been released.