Calling Me Home.... Las Vegas??
If you know the Windy City, you know the song...
Naperville,Illinois-raised Candace Parker, however, is singing a new song, heading south to the Las Vegas Aces, two years after returning "home" to play -- and win a championship with -- the Chicago Sky.
Best wishes to her -- they're assembling quite a competitive team down there:
Candace Parker chose to leave the Chicago Sky for the same reason she joined the team in 2021 — to go home. Parker will sign a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Aces when free agents are cleared to sign beginning Wednesday, according to ESPN.
The Naperville native and two-time WNBA champion on Saturday announced her decision in an Instagram post. She cited her family as her primary decision for returning closer to the West Coast. “My family is my reason and my purpose,” Parker, 36, wrote. “They have given me the greatest joys I’ve ever experienced and continue to show me new levels of love and devotion I never knew existed. … While Chicago will always be my home, my family’s home is on the west coast.”
Meanwhile, back in Chicago, Lake Forest(Illinois)-native Nadia Rawlinson is the Sky's new operating chairman and co-owner:
‘I believe in the future. This isn’t just a passion thing.’ Rawlinson, 43, aims to establish a stronger base for the business aspects of the team as the WNBA continues to grow on and off the court. “For so long, many WNBA teams have been just trying to survive,” Rawlinson said. “Especially from an operational standpoint, they were just trying to get through and make it. And now it’s time to thrive.” ... Rawlinson will oversee the development of the Sky’s strategic business initiatives, which includes establishing and growing corporate partnerships and increasing the organization’s civic engagement throughout the community. Rawlinson and co-owner Michael Alter highlighted two areas for immediate growth. The first is sports betting, which recently became a viable revenue outlet because of laws enacted in March. The second is the establishment of a media rights deal in 2025, which Alter believes is “way undervalued” under the current agreement with the WNBA.
‘I believe in the future. This isn’t just a passion thing.’ Rawlinson, 43, aims to establish a stronger base for the business aspects of the team as the WNBA continues to grow on and off the court. “For so long, many WNBA teams have been just trying to survive,” Rawlinson said. “Especially from an operational standpoint, they were just trying to get through and make it. And now it’s time to thrive.” ... Rawlinson will oversee the development of the Sky’s strategic business initiatives, which includes establishing and growing corporate partnerships and increasing the organization’s civic engagement throughout the community. Rawlinson and co-owner Michael Alter highlighted two areas for immediate growth. The first is sports betting, which recently became a viable revenue outlet because of laws enacted in March. The second is the establishment of a media rights deal in 2025, which Alter believes is “way undervalued” under the current agreement with the WNBA.
Best of luck to both women, and all the WNBA franchises. The growth will come; everybody finds -- or makes -- their own home in the end; and when women work together as teammates, the country wins. This I believe.
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