Shaquille O’Neal offers high praise for Candace Parker after her retirement

Former LSU basketball star Shaquille O’Neal had kinds words with Candace Parker following her retirement .

Former LSU basketball player [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag] had some kind words for Candace Parker following her recent retirement announcement.

Parker joined TNT’s “Inside the NBA” on Wednesday night to talk with Shaq and the crew.

“I just want to say: you know how I feel about you. I love you. I’m so proud of you. Good luck in your new endeavor. And I appreciate our friendship very much and I’m so proud of you,” O’Neal said.

Parker replied, thanking O’Neal for being a role model.

“I’m trying to be a businesswoman, like you, so thank you for raising the bar and continuing to be a great friend and partner for me,” Parker said.

Parker is hanging it up after 16 seasons in the WNBA. The former first-overall pick from Tennessee averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over her lengthy career.

She won MVP twice and finished top five in voting 10 times.

Shaq played three seasons with LSU from 1989-92. He was one of the nation’s most dominant players throughout his time in Baton Rouge, averaging 21.6 points per game.

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