Candace Parker Makes Honest Locker Room Confession About Caitlin Clark’s Teammate

“I think that one thing that led to her retirement was just the fact that she couldn’t be who she wanted to be anymore,” shared Tyler March as the Chicago Sky decided to retire the legend’s jersey. And that’s true, too, as Parker went through 14 surgeries across 16 years in the W. But she never backed off until 2023, when she gave a career-low of 9 points across 18 games due to a foot injury as a part of LA. Then, the legend made a decision and retired from her illustrious WNBA career. But do you know whose shoulder Parker would have really liked back then? Boston’s!

As a part of Aliyah Boston and Candace Parker’s weekly show Post Moves, AB revealed the locker room mindset that keeps the “most resilient team” going. “I feel like that’s always been our thing this entire season, staying together, being a close-knit group… And so for us, it’s just next game up. Like, we can’t worry too much about games down the line,” she said. And spot on, that hit Parker.

“Man, I needed teammates like you in the locker room because after a tough stretch, it doesn’t matter who you are as a professional athlete. You start to… You start to be in that little lull a little bit, you know, and trying to figure out how to dig yourself out of the hole. And basketball is so much about momentum, so much about confidence, and it’s about feeling good going into the playoffs,” she shared.

When Parker went through a rough stretch, she had nobody like AB to keep her motivated. Plus, can you ignore Aliyah Boston and co.’s resilience? It’s no secret that Indy had a brutal 2025 regular season regarding the injuries the Fever squad had to deal with. Their offensive core, CC, had been limited to just 13 games so far this season due to several soft tissue injuries. Not just that, three of their other guards—Aari McDonald (right foot), Sydney Colson (ACL), and Sophie Cunningham (MCL)—are out for the rest of the season after sustaining serious injuries. Still, AB stays positive, playing through whatever adversities she’s got.

And if you think that’s enough, no, it wasn’t. In addition to the adversities, recently signed Chloe Bibby got sidelined with a sore knee, and even Odyssey Sims, signed on hardship, was dealing with a minor groin issue this week. And Hull—we already know about her big raccoon eyes after a major lump on her forehead.

Despite having a sizable knot on her forehead, she played through. Though she later had to wear sunglasses to hide the raccoon eyes she got from busted vessels, all this was exactly because she knew CC’s out, Sophie’s out, Sydney’s out, and Aari’s out. Now, the only hope for the playoffs is the remaining players in the locker room, and the Fever couldn’t just afford to miss any of them. But it ain’t just AB or Kelsey or even Hull driving the team—even those signed on hardship contracts are slowly taking the team toward success.

“And honestly, I think everyone’s just been doing a pretty great job,” AB added. Indy’s played 17 games ever since CC got sidelined and gone 9–8 during that run. That includes their W5 streak at a point, with three of them against playoff teams. And while it took some time for the Fever to get comfortable with the absence of Sophie, they did, and now they’re on a W2 streak. But the most captivating remains their recent win against the LA Sparks by one point, led by Boston with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high six steals.

But while every word Boston shared is apt, you can’t neglect the impact she’s having on Fever’s locker room. Every time the Fever sail through adversities, it’s AB praising the team’s resilience—especially after Sophie suffered a concerning knee injury just minutes into the game.

As she always says, the team’s collective “next woman up” mentality has truly been what keeps them moving forward. “Like I said, I would have loved to play with you. You’re so positive. No, for real. I would have loved to play with you because I think you need that on your squad. You need that in your locker room and you’re going to win a lot of games because of that,” added Parker. But while Parker applauded Boston, she also warned the league about the upcoming threat!

CC’s dominance is yet to be unveiled!

Ever since July 15, when CC went out with her right groin injury, her return has been highly anticipated. But the estimated timeline for her return has been changed quite a few times, as Indy wants CC to get 100% healthy before she’s back. And with just five games left before the postseason, the urgency couldn’t be more.

While the Fever signed their 17th player on the roster on a hardship contract, these players can’t play postseason. No matter how well they blend with the team, they will not be included in the roster until they’re on a permanent contract. At that time, CC, who’s eager to play again, becomes even more important.

“I’m telling you, when Caitlin gets back, it’s gonna be scary from a backcourt standpoint… Because [Clark and Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell] with the ball in their hands, without the ball, and as a post player, your eyes have to light up. Because if there’s that much attention from the backcourt, if you set screens, if you set early drags in transition, the sky is the limit of what you all are able to accomplish,” she added.

Averaging nearly 16.5 points over 13 games so far this season, Parker’s words really made sense. Plus, she’s also averaging 8.8 assists per game, which is the second most across the league. That too, when she’s been sidelined with a fourth muscle injury. After all, it’s the same player who broke over 19 records last year. But that’s only possible if CC returns before the postseason!