WNBA Star Reveals She Is Married And Expecting Baby All At The Same Time

WNBA star Candace Parker shared a couple of massive surprises in a December 14 Instagram post. Fans of the Chicago Sky champion know she's a superstar both on and off the court — and now we know she is quite good at keeping secrets, too. She just revealed she is both married and about to become a mother again, and the news sparked a massive response. 

Life has clearly been busy for the Chicago native, who helped her team win their first WNBA title in October. This happened during her first season with the Chicago Sky after playing for the Los Angeles Sparks for 13 years, noted WNBA. Off the court, she's mom to daughter Lailaa Nicole Williams, whom she had with her ex-husband Shelden Williams, per Hollywood Life.

After the Chicago Sky won their first franchise championship, Parker praised her daughter for her role in making it happen. During the post-game press conference, Parker said, "I owe everything I am to her, just because she's been my motivation and my reason for everything." The WNBA star added, "We've gone through this together, you know? She sacrifices her mom so that I can live my dream." Parker added she was "so over the moon at how amazing she's grown up to be," admitting, "I know I'm partial, but she's an amazing young lady." 

While Parker is typically fairly quiet about her personal life outside of her daughter, it turns out there have been some major developments over the past couple of years.

Candace Parker's December 14 Instagram post dropped two major bombshells. First, the WNBA champion revealed she was married to Russian basketball player Anna Petrakova. Parker shared a couple of wedding photos and revealed this wasn't a recent development. Rather, the post celebrated Parker and Petrakova's two-year anniversary. 

The WNBA star wrote, "2 years ago, I got to marry my best friend in front of our close family and friends." Parker added, "I cried like a baby....To know me or you is to know our love." The Chicago Sky star also thanked her wife for "always loving Lailaa as your own" and being her "voice of reason, my laughs, my cuddles, my dance in the rain, my happy, my home." But Parker didn't stop at simply revealing it was her wedding anniversary. 

The basketball star also shared, "We've always dreamed of growing our family," and announced that they had a baby on the way, complete with a photo of Parker and Lailaa sandwiching Petrakova, who is rocking a baby bump. "Lailaa is pumped to be a big sister!" added the WNBA champion, who also joked about playing Jay-Z for the baby. "I can't wait to embark on this next chapter in life with you!" she shared, and the sentiment was felt by all who commented. The Instagram post received tons of love from Parker's fans, as well as her fellow NBA stars and other celebrities.