Candace Parker of the Las Vegas Aces looks on from the bench before Game Two of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs finals against the New York Liberty in Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 11, 2023. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Two-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker is taking on a new role.
On Wednesday, a little over a week after she announced her retirement from basketball, Parker was named the president of Adidas women’s basketball.
The new role for Parker marks the culmination of a 16-year partnership with Adidas, according to a press release.
As the president of Adidas women’s basketball, Parker will oversee Adidas women’s basketball products lines, build upon the brand’s storied women’s roster which includes stars like Aliyah Boston, Hailey Van Lith, Kahleah Copper and more, as well as amplify women in basketball.
“Stepping into this new leadership role is a deeply personal step in my journey with Adidas,” Parker said in a statement shared in the press release. “From high school to college to playing pro now, this appointment by Adidas symbolizes a shared commitment to making impactful change and setting new benchmarks for the future of women’s sports.”
“It’s not just about the products,” she continued. “It’s about fostering a movement focused on innovation, representation, and access.”
Some of Parker’s career accomplishments include being the first WNBA player in history to win a championship with three different teams and winning two NCAA Championships in 2007 and 2008 while in college at the University of Tennessee.
Parker is also a two-time Olympic Gold medalist.
On April 28, she announced in an Instagram message that she was retiring from the sport after most recently joining the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.
“We are honored to be a part of Candace’s historic legacy as she transitions from signature athlete to this new leadership role within adidas Basketball,” Eric Wisem, Global GM at Adidas basketball, said in a statement. “As a true innovator with a profound passion for the game, we are confident that she is a perfect fit to evolve the adidas Women’s Basketball business and catalyze a new era of growth and credibility for the brand.”
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers prepares for a game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 27, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for MLB star Shohei Ohtani, has agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud in relation to stealing nearly $17 million from the star player in order to cover gambling debts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mizuhara, 39, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum of 30 years in prison, and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which carries up to three years in prison, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. He is expected to enter a plea in the coming weeks, with an arraignment scheduled for May 14, the DOJ said.
“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit. My office is committed to vindicating victims throughout our community and ensuring that wrongdoers face justice.”
According to the plea agreement, Mizuhara helped Ohtani, who does not speak English, set up a bank account in Phoenix in 2018, during which he interpreted the login information for the player’s account. In September 2021, Mizuhara started placing sports bets with an illegal bookmaker to whom he quickly became indebted, according to the plea agreement.
“Unable to pay his gambling debts, Mizuhara orchestrated a scheme to deceive and cheat the bank to fraudulently obtain money from the account,” the DOJ said in a release.
Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account and updated security information so bank employees would contact him, not Ohtani, when attempting to verify wire transfers from the account, according to the plea agreement. He also impersonated Ohtani on 24 occasions in calls to the bank, according to the agreement.
From November 2021 to March 2024, Mizuhara transferred nearly $17 million from the account to associates of the bookmaker in more than 40 wires without Ohtani’s permission, according to the plea agreement.
Mizuhara also admitted in the plea agreement to falsely claiming that his total taxable income for 2022 was $136,865 when, in fact, he failed to report an additional $4.1 million in income.
“The source of the unreported income was from his scheme to defraud the bank,” the DOJ said, noting that he owes approximately $1,149,400 in additional taxes for the tax year 2022, plus additional interest and penalties.
Estrada previously stressed that Ohtani is a victim in the case and has cooperated “fully and completely” in the investigation.
The Dodgers announced they had fired the Japanese interpreter on March 20, after the gambling controversy surfaced. The team did not provide a specific reason for Mizuhara’s termination.
Mizuhara was charged in the matter last month. Following his initial appearance in federal court on April 12, his attorney, Michael Freedman, said in a statement to ABC News that Mizuhara is “continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility.”
“He wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family,” the statement continued. “As noted in court, he is also eager to seek treatment for his gambling.”
Ohtani addressed the scandal for the first time on March 25 during a press conference. In a prepared statement, Ohtani said through an interpreter, “I am very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE LA Angels 5, Pittsburgh 4 Toronto 5, Philadelphia 3 Kansas City 6, Milwaukee 4 Atlanta 5, Boston 0 Baltimore 7, Washington 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE Cleveland 5, Detroit 4 Oakland 9, Texas 4 Chi White Sox 4, Tampa Bay 1 NY Yankees 9, Houston 4 Minnesota 6, Seattle 3 Texas 12, Oakland 11
NATIONAL LEAGUE NY Mets at St. Louis (Postponed) San Diego 3, Chi Cubs 0 LA Dodgers 3, Miami 1 Final Arizona 4, Cincinnati 3 San Francisco 8, Colorado 6
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS New York 130, Indiana 121 (New York leads series 2-0)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Florida 6, Boston 1 (Series tied 1-1) Vancouver 5, Edmonton 4 (Vancouver leads series 1-0)
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Detroit 4, St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 7, Tampa Bay 1 Oakland 4, Pittsburgh 0 Atlanta 5, Seattle 2 Philadelphia 2, LA Angels 1 Boston 6, San Francisco 2 Washington 1, Texas 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE Minnesota 10, Chi White Sox 5 Kansas City 6, Toronto 1 NY Yankees 2, Baltimore 0 Cleveland 3, Houston 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE San Diego 6, Cincinnati 2 Miami 4, Colorado 1 Chi Cubs 1, NY Mets 0 LA Dodgers 8, Arizona 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Boston 118, Miami 84 (Boston wins series 4-1) Dallas 123, LA Clippers 93 (Dallas leads series 3-2)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Dallas 3, Vegas 2 (Dallas leads series 3-2) Edmonton 4, Los Angeles 3 (Edmonton wins series 4-1)
