WNBA titans, the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces have made it to the Finals and are set to square off in the much-anticipated championship matchup. The best-of-five series matchup begins next Sunday, and the basketball world couldn’t be more eager. After winning their first championship last season, the Aces now aim for a unique feat: winning back-to-back titles for the first time since the storied Los Angeles Sparks did so in the early 2000s.

However, the question remains. Will the biggest off-season recruit for the Las Vegas Aces, Candace Parker, watch the WNBA Finals from the sidelines?

Will Candace Parker return for the WNBA Finals?

The Las Vegas Aces acquired the high-profile standout player, Candace Parker in the offseason after their 2022 championship title run. With the addition of the 2x WNBA MVP, their hopes were high for a consecutive championship title. Her journey with the team, however, experienced an unexpected detour in July when she needed foot surgery to fix a fracture.

Parker had shown incredible guts by playing through the discomfort of the foot fracture the entire season. She averaged an average of 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during her 18 starts for the Aces. Unfortunately, despite her great on-court performances, it became increasingly obvious that surgery was the only practical choice to safeguard her long-term health and stop further injuries. She underwent surgery back in July and was not ruled out for the 2023 season.

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So, will Parker be returning for the WNBA Finals?

All eyes were on Candace Parker as the WNBA regular season came to an end in late August. Fans eagerly awaited the Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon to provide an update on Parker’s status. Coach Hammon revealed that they were keeping in regular touch with Parker when she spoke to WNBA reporter Nekias Duncan.

Hammon stated that she’s still “in a boot, or [using] some sort of assisted walking apparatus.” She did not give a concrete timetable for Parker’s eagerly awaited return to the court, leaving fans wanting more information. With no recent updates on the player from the league or the team, Parker will likely be watching the Finals from the sidelines.

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Meanwhile, the 2023 WNBA Finals will be a showdown between 2 MVPs.

2022 MVP vs. 2023 MVP: Who will win?

Even though the players that made it to the WNBA Finals may not like the moniker ‘super-team’, their performance throughout the season backs it up. With five starters from their 2022 championship-winning team, the Las Vegas Aces entered the season as the favorites to advance to the Finals. The New York Liberty, meanwhile, are appearing in the Finals for the first time since 2002. Interestingly, they are the only original franchise in the WNBA that has never won a championship. In the early years of the league, they previously made it to the Finals three times. However, they lost to the Houston Comets each time.

As the 2023 WNBA Finals draw near, all eyes are on the two undisputed stars of the WNBA, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, who have both consistently been considered MVP candidates. With just 13 points separating her from Wilson, who took third place in the voting, Stewart won the coveted MVP award this season by defeating her rivals in a hotly contested race.

The anticipation for this year’s Finals matchup has only grown as a result of Stewart and Wilson’s long-standing on-court competition. Wilson and Stewart have faced off five times before, with Stewart averaging an astounding 17 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while Wilson has competed with averages of 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds.

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They first faced off in the 2020 Finals, and Stewart’s Seattle Storm prevailed as victors. Her spectacular 37-point outburst in Game 1 and an overall average of 28 points throughout the Storm’s historic three-game sweep helped Stewart win the Finals MVP award. However, the supporting cast A’ja Wilson has today wasn’t present when she first came on the scene. With the arrival of Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby’s better shooting and Kelsey Plum’s recovery from an Achilles injury, the Las Vegas Aces have now strengthened their roster.

The question remains: Which MVP will guide their team to win in the much-anticipated 2023 Finals? With the stakes at an all-time high for both teams, only time can tell. Who are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments below!