On Tuesday, Candace Parker announced via Instagram that she and her wife, Anna Petrakova, are expecting a baby.
The 35-year-old wrote in the post, “We’ve always dreamed of growing our family. It’s surreal that we now have a baby on the way! Lailaa is pumped to be a big sister.”
Parker, who plays for the Chicago Sky of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), has been candid about her desire to have more children over the last year. She gave birth to her daughter, Lailaa, a year after being drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.
Lailaa is the daughter of Parker and Shelden Williams, an American former professional basketball player. Parker and Williams got a divorce in 2016. Parker has been sharing every moment of her career with Lailaa.
Even though Lailaa is just a child, she has been following in her mother’s footsteps towards becoming a basketball player. Parker’s mother, Sara, traveled with her and was at every game with Lailaa. Parker would nurse her daughter at halftime.
In a past interview with the Sun-Times, Sara said her daughter has played some of her best games on little to no sleep.
Parker and Petrakova played together for UMMC Ekaterinburg. Petrakova played for the Russian national team during the 2012 Olympics.
In the Parker recent post, the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary. However, she did not share the due date for their new baby. She thanked Petrakova for loving Lailaa as her own and being a constant source of support.
Parker wrote, “You couldn’t be more beautiful! Glowing, while understanding that I have to constantly love, kiss, and talk to your belly AND yes… play Jay-Z for the baby (Goose knows “Song Cry” already by heart!) I can’t wait to embark on this next chapter in life with you! So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you. – Alchemist”
