WNBA legend Candace Parker becomes first woman co-chair of Pro Athlete Community

The GIST: Today, The GIST is exclusively sharing that Pro Athlete Community (PAC) — an organization that supports retired athletes in their post-playing careers — has named WNBA legend Candace Parker as a co-chair on its board of advisors. This is a pivotal move for the org as it recruits more women into its community of over 1.6K retired pro athletes, many of whom are men.

• We spoke with Parker on Friday to learn more about what drew her to this particular role and how the business world can benefit from having women athletes at the table. As Parker told us in her interview, it’s a space where everyone can eat.

The details: Parker joins the PAC board of advisors as the first woman athlete on the board, although powerhouse women sports execs Chrysa Chin, Robyn Glaser, and Kelly Mehrtens are also advisors. As the first woman co-chair alongside NFL twins Devin and Jason McCourty, Parker offers insight and guidance into ensuring women athletes have increased access to and awareness of PAC’s benefits.

• PAC members are able to navigate the uncertainty that follows many pro athlete careers, and benefit from advice from fellow like-minded athletes as well as career guidance from experienced executives, entrepreneurs, and mentors on how to excel in the business world.

The why: Since she retired from the WNBA last April, Parker has intentionally built out her business portfolio and been named to several key leadership positions, including president of women’s basketball for Adidas and the board of Mike’s Hot Honey, a role she was "hesitant at first” to step into since it was her first time advising a consumer product.

• Parker cited Magic Johnson as inspiration since he “wasn’t invited to a seat at the table in his business acquisitions and moves” yet has built a business empire in retirement. She also named Michael Strahan and Marc Lasry as role models in business but noted that she wanted to see more people that looked like her and Serena Williams.

Parker’s take: She emphasized leveraging transferable skills from playing pro sports — they helped her advise Mike’s Hot Honey and give her confidence in the boardroom. She also noted the value of athletes on advisory and company boards, because having “somebody with fresh eyes” who’s not involved in daily management is “beneficial 100%,” citing Bob Myers and Sue Bird as examples.

• Parker also advised fellow women athletes to own their space: “For so long in the world, it's been ‘shrink yourself,’ but in actuality, [women athletes] are the ones that are staying in college and getting four-year degrees, we are the ones that are doing the internships and have the experiences of playing abroad.”

The takeaway: PAC not only gives retired athletes a network of fellow teammates in a similar situation, but it connects companies and executives to motivated athletes looking to flex their entrepreneurial skills. And retired pros have uniquely valuable qualities, such as widespread name recognition and cross-generational appeal — consider the billion-dollar empires of Michael Jordan and David Beckham.

• Marketing with active athletes communicates values like trust and authenticity, and with retired athletes, brands can capitalize on personas that athletes have spent years cultivating, such as Megan Rapinoe’s fiery personality, which drove her campaign with Budweiser. Always an icon.