Candace Parker has lived through two marriages, first with her husband Shelden Williams and now with her wife Anna Petrakova. Shelden, a former professional basketball player, met Parker back in high school. At the time, Parker was seeing someone else, so their relationship didn’t spark right away.
In time, the two grew close and eventually married. They welcomed a daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams, who has already started showing interest in sports like her parents. The marriage did not last, and Parker and Williams later divorced.
Later, Parker found happiness again with her wife, Anna Petrakova, who also comes from a basketball background. Together, they have two children.
Here’s a closer look at how Parker’s first marriage to Shelden began and ended, and how her relationship with Anna began.
Who Is Candace Parker’s Husband, Shelden Williams? Their First Meeting
Williams is a former professional basketball player who made his name at Duke Blue Devils before going on to play parts of seven seasons in the NBA.
It was during his time at Duke that Williams first crossed paths with his future wife, Candace Parker, then a rising star with the Tennessee Lady Vols.
Back in high school, Parker had dated Dwight Howard, and the two even went to each other’s proms. Around that same time, the WNBA star also met Williams, though the two didn’t begin dating until years later.
Williams often admired Parker’s talent, especially her ability to dunk, something he was used to seeing during their workouts together. “I see [her dunk] all the time,” Williams told Cleveland, adding that while the crowd might leap to their feet, he was used to it. He followed her career closely, cheering her on as she became a star in the WNBA and a regular for the U.S. national team, watching from the stands in his USA T-shirt and hoping she would have more Olympic moments ahead.
Their relationship began to grow after a 2006 game when Tennessee returned to Durham to face Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. During Parker’s earlier recruiting visit, the two had barely spoken, but by then things were different. “We didn’t really talk too much on her recruiting visit,” Williams admitted. “Then we just hit it off. That was pretty much it.”
When Did Candace and Shelden Get Married? Their Daughter Lailaa
Parker and Williams tied the knot on November 13, 2008. The wedding had originally been planned for September 2009, but the couple moved the date forward after Parker was selected to compete with the U.S. team in Beijing.
The following year, they welcomed their daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams, born in 2009. Lailaa has grown up surrounded by sports and now takes part in volleyball, beach volleyball, and basketball. Standing 6’1″, she represents Campbell Hall on the varsity teams, carrying on the athletic tradition of both her parents.
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They Divorced in 2016
Candace and her ex-husband, Shelden, separated in November 2016 after eight years of marriage when Williams filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in April 2018.
As part of the settlement, Parker agreed to make a one-time alimony payment of $400,000 to her former hubby, Williams. The two also reached an agreement for joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, Lailaa. Instead of monthly child support, they decided to split educational and medical expenses equally.
The couple also sold their Encino, California home for $3.75 million in March 2017. They had purchased the 7,000-square-foot property in 2013 for $3.56 million.
Candace Parker’s Wife Anna Petrakova and Their Two Children
On December 14, 2021, Parker revealed that she had married former basketball player Anna Petrakova in 2019.
The two first crossed paths in 2012 when Petrakova joined UMMC Ekaterinburg, the Russian club where Parker played during the WNBA offseason. Their bond grew over time, and they later shared that their first kiss happened one night after practice.
In April 2019, Petrakova organized a birthday trip to Mexico for Parker. During the trip, Parker proposed while they were out on a boat with 15 family members and friends. Her daughter Lailaa helped with the moment by bringing out a cake that read, “Will you marry us?” Parker later explained, “She knows that Lailaa is the center of my entire universe. So we come in a package deal. It was important for the dynamic duo to be upgraded to the Big Three.”
The couple married in December 2019, keeping their engagement and wedding quiet until announcing it two years later.
At the same time, Parker also revealed that they were expecting their first child together. Petrakova gave birth to their son, Airr Larry Petrakov Parker, on February 11, 2022. On December 14, 2023, Parker announced another pregnancy, and on May 21, 2024, their second son, Hartt Summitt Petrakov Parker, was born.
