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Candace Parker visits Tennessee for Chris Lofton's jersey retirement Saturday

cora hall, knoxville news sentinel
·2 min read
4

Knoxville had a special visitor this weekend.

Two-time WNBA champion and former Lady Vol Candace Parker was at Thompson-Boling Arena for former Vols basketball player Chris Lofton's jersey retirement. Parker played for Pat Summitt from 2004-08 and won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008, which is the last time Tennessee made it to the Final Four or won a national title.

Lofton and Parker played at Tennessee at the same time and she donned a shirt with Lofton's No. 5 on it. Parker stood courtside with Lofton as his No. 5 jersey was raised to the rafters, where hers has hung since 2014.

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Parker is coming off her 15th season in the WNBA and her second with her hometown Chicago Sky, which made it all the way to the semifinals before getting knocked off by the Connecticut Sun. Parker is a free agent this offseason after two seasons with the Sky. In her first season with Chicago, Parked led the team to the franchise's first WNBA title.

Much speculation has been made about whether Parker will return for a 16th season. Parker implied before the 2022 season that it might be her last, but on a podcast in November, she said she was game for another year.

Parker made history last season, becoming the first player in league history to reach 6,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,500 assists. She was also the first player to record three career triple-doubles, got her seventh WNBA All-Star nod and made playoff history, too. Parker was the first player to have at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks in a playoff game.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Candace Parker visits Tennessee for Chris Lofton retirement