Candace Parker Named Adidas' President of Women's Basketball After WNBA Retirement

Former two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker has been named president of Adidas women's basketball, Fast Company's AJ Hess revealed in an exclusive on Wednesday.

Her new role with Adidas will involve overseeing product development, branding, and which athletes the brand signs with in the future, Hess reported.

"I said to [Adidas], 'I don't want to be a mascot. I really want to be in the meetings, and I want to be a part of making decisions,'" Parker told Hess.

Parker announced her retirement from the WNBA after 16 seasons on April 28.

Parker is the only player in WNBA history to have won championships with three different teams, having earned titles with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016, the Chicago Sky in 2021 and the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.

Eric Wise, Adidas' global GM of basketball, told Hess that Parker would be part of Adidas' daily operations at the brand's global headquarters in Los Angeles.

"Parker will collaborate with the brand to create a powerful platform aimed at influencing and elevating the future of women's sports," the brand said in a statement (h/t Andscape.) "Parker's role will also involve overseeing the adidas Women's Basketball product line, and spearheading further development of the brand's storied women's roster."

Wise and Parker did not indicate which women's players the brand hoped to add next, per Hess. Adidas' current WNBA roster includes reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston and three-time All-Star Kahleah Copper.

Parker's new role with Adidas continues a long relationship with the brand. She told Andscape's Aaron Dodson in 2018 that she first became involved with Adidas in 2003 when her high school team in Naperville, Illinois was sponsored by the brand.

Both Nike and Adidas pursued brand deals with Parker after she led Tennessee to a pair of NCAA championships, per Boardroom's Nick DePaula.

Parker chose Adidas, officially signing with the brand for the first time in 2008. She became the first woman athlete to receive Adidas player-edition footwear, and the ninth WNBA player to launch a signature shoe, with the TS Ace Commander in 2010, per Hess and DePaula.

Parker was able to influence the design of the original shoe by making requests for "a midfoot support strap for enhanced stability and a multicolored outsole inspired by her fondness for Skittles candy," Andscape's Brandon Richard wrote.

Now Parker will hope to continue influencing Adidas' decisions on a larger scale as the company looks to increase its presence in women's basketball. The brand is already trending in that direction after spending more money on marketing during the 2024 NCAA women's tournament than the men's, according to Marketing Brew's Alyssa Meyers.